Future Heroes of America
by liketotescray
Summary: AU. Raven dips her toes in public schooling as she tags along on a club field trip to Gotham, meeting some interesting people on the way. Major BBRae, a little RobStar, and maybe a few minor other pairings :)
1. Reading

I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

As usual, Garfield was running late.

He woke up half an hour after his alarm went off, had to wait another twenty minutes to use the shower, and then suffered through a fifteen-minute car ride as his foster mother drove five miles _under _the speed limit.

And today was not a good day to be late, for Garfield Logan had a very important flight to catch.

As usual, Raven was exceptionally early.

Being home-schooled by her mother meant she never had to be anywhere, so when she _did_ have a commitment, she made sure she was punctual. But sometimes she would be a little _too _eager to leave the house, and end up a little _too _early. Because of this, she had to wait an hour before her flight started boarding. But, being the prepared seventeen-year-old woman she was, she decided to get a head start on the book she had brought for her trip to alleviate her current boredom.

Being a fast reader as well, she noticed she was already on chapter five and still had half an hour before she could get on her plane. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she decided now would be a good time to check in with the woman who had organized this trip.

Ms. Mae was a seemingly sweet old woman, with a large nose and a friendly smile. Raven had spoken to her twice before; once, over the phone to discuss an essay she had turned in, and the second time over coffee, where the elderly lady invited the shy girl on the two-week trip her club was taking.

Future Heroes of America- or FHoA, for short, was a blooming club for aspiring world leaders at the local high school. Although Raven wasn't enrolled as a student, her mother was teaching her the same curriculum and had even made an arrangement in which the teen's work could be viewed by several of the teachers. Ms. Mae was blown away by Raven's personal statement, which expressed her desire for world peace and pacifism, and eagerly invited the girl to tag along to Gotham, the trip's destination.

Letting out a nervous sigh, the petite girl approached the old woman, who was busy checking off her to-do list. "Excuse me, Ms. Mae?"

The plump woman looked up at the sound of her name. "Ms. Roth! It's good to see you, dear!"

Raven nodded her head shyly. "I was just checking in?" she stated, though it sounded more like a question.

The elderly teacher smiled as she dug around in her large bag, bringing out a folder. "Alright, deary, here is your ticket!" she grinned, handing the pale girl the shiny piece of paper.

Raven forced a small smile. "Thank you."

"Of course! Now, the kind man over there has agreed to let the students board early, so go on and get your bags, sweetheart!"

The petite girl nodded again, before backtracking to get her bags, which consisted of one medium-sized suitcase and one carry-on. After handing in her ticket and going through customs, she let out a long breath and walked down the corridor to her plane.

Garfield checked the time on his phone. It was a quarter till seven, meaning his flight was due for take-off in the next ten minutes. The teenager quickly kissed his foster mom on the cheek as he climbed out of the car and sprinted into the airport.

After frantically searching the waiting area, he finally saw the familiar face of his teacher. "Hey! Ms. Mae!" he hollered, suppressing a grin when he noticed he had rhymed.

The old woman gave him a tired look as she handed him his ticket. "Hurry up, Mr. Logan. This plane has no problem leaving without you."

The blonde boy smiled sheepishly as he made his way towards the bag check.

Raven sat quietly in her seat, discreetly observing the students around her. She was pretty sure she had seen a few of them around town before, seeing as Jump City wasn't much of a city, but she couldn't bring herself to socialize. _Why did I think this would be a good idea? _she thought bitterly, regretting her decision to go on this field trip of sorts.

"Hello! Are you a new student?"

Raven looked up to see the redhead sitting in front of her had turned herself around and was awaiting a response.

"No, I'm home-schooled, but Ms. Mae invited me," she replied awkwardly.

The pretty girl gave her a confused look. "What is 'home-schooled'?"

"It means her parents teach her all her lessons at home," a kind voice spoke from beside the redhead. Raven turned her attention towards the large, tanned hand reaching out towards her. "The name's Victor," the hand's owner spoke.

The petite girl tentatively shook his hand. "Raven," she deadpanned, cursing herself for sounding so bored.

Victor didn't seem to mind as he smiled warmly. "It's nice to meet ya, Raven. This here is Kori," he went on, motioning to the redhead.

"Yes, I am Kori! It is glorious meeting you, Raven!" the girl smiled as she reached her hand towards the pale girl as well.

Again, Raven shook it awkwardly. "Likewise."

"Hey, he made it!" Victor exclaimed, looking towards the plane's entrance.

Garfield smiled brightly at his best friend. "Told ya I wouldn't miss the flight!" he grinned. The blonde boy quickly took a look at his ticket, seeing he was to be seated in 3A. He glanced up and saw that his seat was directly behind Victor's. "Sweet! I'm right behi-" he began, before he suddenly lost the ability to speak.

Sitting in the seat next to his was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was pale, with dark hair that looked almost purple. She wasn't looking at him, instead watching in confusion as his friend Kori talked to her. Garfield continued to stare, forgetting he was in the middle of saying something.

"Yo, earth to Gar!" Victor laughed, waving his hand in front of the blonde's face.

Garfield quickly snapped out of his trance, staring at his friend in bewilderment. "What?"

The large teen snorted in amusement. "Sit down, grass stain," he teased, gesturing to the seat behind him. The blonde teen nodded absent-mindedly as he sat beside the mysterious girl, who had yet to notice him.

"Is that a clothing store?" Kori asked curiously, not recognizing the name that her new friend had said.

"No, it's a book store," Raven corrected politely. "It's right off of-"

"I love reading," a new voice interjected. Raven turned her head to see that there was a tallish, lanky blonde boy sitting beside her.

"That's awesome," she replied in a monotone, miffed that he had interrupted her.

"Psh, you don't read!" Victor smirked, giving his best bud a knowing look.

Garfield's face immediately blushed a deep red as the girl beside him raised an eyebrow in apprehension. "I-I do, occasionally," he stuttered, finding himself hypnotized by her purple-blue eyes, which were set in an annoyed glare.

"Okay..." she drawled, before opening the book in her lap.

The blonde teen watched in disappointment as the girl began reading her book. "I'm Garfield, by the way," he grinned.

"I'm reading," she replied without looking up.

Garfield sighed as he settled into his seat. _Way to make a first impression! _he groaned in his head. Sparing another glance at the pale girl, he noticed the corners of her lips were slightly curved upwards. _Wow, I bet she has a great smile!_

* * *

So I decided to take a shot at writing an AU fanfic! Your thoughts so far?

Also, I'll work on my other story as well, but I just found that I was getting really distracted (like online shopping distracted) and decided that maybe working on something new would be a good (better, less expensive) distraction! But don't worry, I'll still try to update both stories quickly!

Anywhoo, please review! I'd love some feedback on this! :D

BTW, I have never been on a plane or in an airport, so I'm sorry if anything was incorrect ;)


	2. Turbulence

The Teen Titans ain't mine!

* * *

Raven knew she wasn't a talkative person- heck, besides her mom and a couple of her neighbors, she barely had anyone to talk to. So with that in mind, she knew she didn't have the greatest knowledge on whether or not somebody talked too much.

But this boy- he _definitely_ talked too much.

She had given up reading a while ago, and in an effort to maybe make a friend, she decided to humor him. He was so animated and lively- the exact opposite of her. She wouldn't say it was refreshing, talking to someone so... whatever he was. No, it was merely... interesting, in the loosest sense of the word.

Garfield was ecstatic- this girl was actually talking to him! Well, kind of; he was really doing most of the talking, and she'd just nod her head occasionally. Their flight had been delayed about half an hour, which he didn't mind one bit, seeing as it gave him an extra half an hour of her company.

"So, do you play any sports?" he asked with a friendly smile.

She stared at him blankly. "No."

"Oh," he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Play any instruments?"

Again, that look. "No."

Sighing in exasperation, he gave the girl a pleading look. "Then what is it you like to do, uh..."

The pale girl arched a brow as he trailed off uncertainly. "Raven," she deadpanned, finally giving him her name.

"Raven! What a pretty name," he smiled brightly, but felt it falter as she continued to look unimpressed. "Uh, anyway, what do you like to do, Raven?"

She purposefully lifted the book in her lap. "I like reading," she began, talking very slowly, "and peace, and quiet."

Garfield smiled sheepishly. "Oh, haha... what do you like to read?"

The dark-haired girl arched a brow in mild amusement, somewhat impressed that he found a topic she wouldn't mind discussing. "Well, I really enjoy short stories, preferably by Poe or Lovecraft, but I have found a few books by King that I wouldn't mind reading again."

The blonde boy listened with a smile, making a mental note to google those authors. "Awesome! Sounds like you really know your, uh, stuff!"

Raven nodded tentatively. "Yeah, well, being home-schooled doesn't grant me with the busiest social life, so I make due with what I have- the company of my favorite authors."

Garfield gave her a quizzical look. "Wait, so you're home-schooled, but you're going to Gotham with us? Did you just join the club?"

"Kind of," she replied. "Ms. Mae had read my personal statement and thought that this would be a good trip for me."

"So you're all about saving the world, too?" he grinned.

The pale girl shrugged. "I guess; I'm a pacifist, so I guess I'm all about world peace- you know, stereotypical hippie crap."

The teen quickly eyed the girl head to toe, noting that she was dressed in a casual dark hoodie and jeans. "You don't look like a hippie."

Raven rolled her eyes playfully. "No, I guess not," she smirked.

Suddenly, the pilot announced over the loudspeaker that they would begin taking off. The flight attendants asked all the passengers to put their seats in the upright position, snap their trays back in place, and buckle their seat belts.

Raven struggled with her tray, which she had lowered earlier by accident. "Need a little help?" Garfield smiled.

The pale girl gave him a grateful look. "First time ever flying- can you tell?"

The blonde teen's smile widened. "Psh, not at all."

He reached over to help her, brushing her hand by accident. His face immediately turned red, but he tried to ignore it. Finally, the tray snapped back up.

"Thank you," she replied, letting a small smile grace her lips.

Garfield felt his breath hitch as he stared at her. "N-no problem," he stuttered nervously.

The plane began to take off shortly after, and Raven felt her nerves getting to her. She glanced out the window quickly, watching as the ground sped by as the plane sped up. Realizing that probably wasn't the best place to look, she turned her head and stared forward.

Garfield watched the girl, half of him amused and half of him concerned. "The take off and landing are the worst parts; just find something to distract yourself," he suggested.

She gave him a pleading look. "W-would you mind distracting me?" she asked sheepishly.

The blonde teen smiled brilliantly. "Sure! Uhm, do you have any siblings?"

Raven shook her head no.

"Oh, uhm... any pets?"

Again, she shook her head.

Garfield gasped playfully. "What?! How could you not have a pet!"

The dark-haired girl shrugged. "I've always wanted a cat, b-but my mother is allergic," she admitted, keeping her focus on his green eyes as the plane jolted.

He continued to feign a look of shock. "Well, you definitely need a hamster or something, 'cuz pets are the best!" he exclaimed. "I love animals- that's why I'm in this club. I'm going to open a big cat sanctuary in Africa someday. Not really a 'hero of America,' but whatever."

Raven nodded politely. "That sounds very admirable."

"Yeah, I-" he began, but was at a loss for words when the plane went through some more mild turbulence and the pale girl beside him grabbed his hand. Sure, his hand just happened to be resting on the armrest, and that was probably what she had meant to grab, but still, she was holding his hand!

He felt himself blush as she closed her eyes and squeezed his hand harder. "You, what?"

"Huh?" he replied, confusion evident in his voice.

"Y-you were about to say something."

"O-oh, uh, right," he stuttered, still completely flustered. "I, uh... I just really like animals."

Finally the turbulance was over, and Raven slowly opened her eyes. "That wasn't so bad..." she announced awkwardly.

Garfield continued to stare at their hands, until she released his and reached for her book. _Did she even notice? _he wondered to himself.

He glanced up at her as she opened her book. "Yeah, you, uh, you get use to it..."

She gave him another small smile in reply, before directing her attention onto her book. "Thank you... uhm..."

"Garfield," he grinned. "I, uh, I told you earlier, but you-"

"Thank you, Garfield."

He smiled sheepishly at her. "You can call me Gar, if you want. All my friends call me Gar."

Raven glanced up quickly, a skeptical look on her face. "We've barely just met," she pointed out dryly.

The blonde teen blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time since meeting her. "Yeah, but... I mean... we're probably gonna get to know each other a lot better during the next two weeks... Might as well get a head start on our friendship now, huh?"

She nodded her head slowly. "Oookay..."

_Way to sound like a creeper! _he thought bitterly as he observed her look of skepticism. "Hehe, so, uhm... do you want to hear a joke?"

Raven sighed in exasperation as she closed her book. _This is going to be a _very _long flight..._

* * *

Well, here is chapter two! So I've come to realize AUs are kind of hard to write, even though I guess I have a lot more freedom. It's just strange for me to write these guys in this way, even though I have no problem reading AU fanfics and recognizing the characters! And I really hope they're not totally OOC in this, so let me know if you have any concerns at all!

I also didn't anticipate the fact that writing two stories at once would get a little confusing, especially when I keep typing empath and changeling in this! Lol so forgive me if that does happen! Or just point it out and I'll edit it- and then apologize profusely!

So anywhoo, leave a review! I probably won't update this one as fast, since I'm more focused on my other fanfic, but I will try my hardest not to neglect this one! :)


	3. Red

The Teen Titans are not in my possession!

* * *

Raven stood awkwardly next to the nice redhead from the plane as Ms. Mae passed everyone a slip of paper.

"Alright! Since there are so many of you, I've decided to divide you all into teams! You'll notice a color on your slip, and whether you are the President, Vice-President, Speaker of the House, and so on. There will be six people in each group. Now, go on and find your groups, dearies!"

The pale girl glanced down at the piece of paper. It was red, with the words "Secretary of Defense" in delicate cursive writing. She let out a dry chuckle at the irony of her new position. "Of course..."

"What is your color, Raven?" Kori asked sweetly.

The dark-haired girl showed her the paper, before cringing as the other girl squealed.

"I am on the red as well! This is so wonderful!"

Hearing the redhead's exclamation, Victor walked over, shaking his head in amusement. "Looks like I'm with y'all, too."

Kori squealed even louder "Glorious! Who else is on the red?" she exclaimed, earning bemused looks from several of the students.

A thin girl with bubblegum pink hair walked over casually, elbowing Victor playfully. "Red team, huh?"

The large teen grinned. "Whaddup, baby J?" he asked, elbowing her back.

The girl rolled her eyes playfully, before focusing on Raven. "You a new student?"

Raven opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted as someone casually draped an arm over her shoulders. "She's home-schooled, but just joined the club," Garfield announced with a large smile.

"Is she a mute?" the pink-haired girl asked with an arched brow.

Raven glared at the blonde boy as she shrugged out from underneath his arm. "No, I'm very capable of speaking for myself."

Garfield smiled sheepishly, glancing at the paper in her hand. "You're on the red team, too? Sweet! Told ya we'd be spending a lot of time together."

The pale girl huffed in annoyance, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment as the pink-haired girl gave her an amused look.

"I'm Jinx," she smirked, reaching her hand towards Raven.

The dark-haired girl shook it un-enthusiastically. "Raven."

"Is that your real name?" Jinx asked curiously.

Raven nodded her head.

"You're lucky. Ugh, I won't even _tell _you my real name," she sighed in exasperation. "Pretty sure my parents hated me!"

Victor snorted in amusement. "I bet Wally knows," he teased, earning a smack on the shoulder from the smaller girl.

"Shut it, Vic."

Garfield smiled cheerfully at his teammates, though he found his eyes kept wandering to a specific member. He awkwardly made eye contact with her, and quickly cleared his throat. "So, uh, looks like we're missing someone..." he announced to the whole group.

"Not anymore," a voice called from behind him.

The blonde teen turned around to see an unfamiliar face. "Are you, uh... are you new, too?"

The black-haired boy smirked as he observed the group through his sunglasses. Garfield wasn't sure who he was looking at, but automatically felt a weird possessive feeling as he glanced at Raven. _Dude, don't be so freaking creepy! Get a grip, Garfield!_

The new guy crossed his arms smugly. "The name's Richard- your teacher said I could tag along, since my father owns the hotel you're gonna be staying at," he mused casually.

A look of awe passed over everyone's face- except Raven's. She quickly diverted her eyes from Richard, who gave her a strange look.

"Raven, right?" he asked expectantly.

The pale girl took a deep breath as she glanced up at him. "Y-yeah."

He smiled a friendly smile. "Nice to see you again... Your, uh, your dad still..?"

"Yep," she replied quickly, nervously glancing at her teammates.

"R-right..." Richard replied, awkwardly rubbing his arm. "Anyway, the rest of you are..?"

"I am Kori!" the redhead announced cheerfully as she moved towards the new guy. "It is glorious to meet you, Richard!"

Garfield and Victor stifled a snort of amusement as the seemingly arrogant guy's confidence faltered at the sight of the pretty girl. "O-oh, haha, I'm, uh, I'm Richard," he repeated nervously.

Kori gave the boy a confused look. "Yes, and I am Kori..." she replied.

Jinx rolled her eyes as she decided to intervene. "I'm Jinx," she announced confidently. "And these two are Garfield and Victor, and you seem to already know Raven..?" she trailed off questionably.

Richard quickly looked away from the redhead, blushing. "Yeah, uh... our dads had worked together," he explained, giving the pale girl a fleeting look. "Anyway, it's nice meeting all of you."

Garfield glared at the new guy, somewhat upset that he and Raven were already acquainted. _You barely know her, dude. Chill! _he thought to himself as he tried to calm down. "So, your dad is Bruce Wayne?" he asked, feigning excitement.

The black-haired boy shrugged in nonchalance. "Well, kinda. He's not my real dad, but he pretty much raised me."

The blonde boy nodded in understanding. "I gotcha, dude," he smiled, feeling less hostile as he realized they had something in common.

"So you live here in Gotham?" Victor asked politely.

Richard smiled warmly. "Yep- live in the hotel. I usually have private tutors, so when I heard about this club trip thing, I kinda got excited. Not a lot of people my age hanging around the hotel," he admitted.

The large teen smirked as he patted the new guy on the back. "Well, looks like you'll be spending a lot of time with us! Hope you'll find our company..." he trailed off suggestively, looking between the black-haired boy and the redhead, "tolerable."

Richard coughed awkwardly. "Heh, yeah... I'm sure I will. You all seem like nice people."

"The nicest!" Garfield grinned as he draped his arm over the pale girl's shoulders again, earning another glare.

"Yes, we are exceptionally kind!" Kori agreed cheerfully, causing the new guy to blush again.

Raven rolled her eyes as the black-haired boy nervously laughed. _Still the same Richard... _she thought fondly. She then realized she hadn't knocked off Garfield's arm yet, and felt herself blushing. _What is with this guy? _she wondered as she wiggled out from under him.

The blonde boy smiled sheepishly. "So, Rae! You used to live here?"

The pale girl narrowed her eyes at him. "It's Raven," she deadpanned.

"Hehe, uhhh, right. Raven," Garfield repeated nervously. _This is not going too well... _he thought bitterly as the dark-haired girl turned her attention back to Richard. "So, _Raven,_" he corrected, rejoicing silently as she looked at him, "you, uh..."

Raven rolled her eyes in amusement, finding in somewhat difficult to remain mad at the blonde teen. Was she still annoyed by him? Yes. But looking into his kind, green eyes, she knew she wasn't mad. "I, what?" she asked, smirking.

Garfield laughed awkwardly. "I totally forgot what I was saying," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"That ain't a surprise, grass stain," Victor laughed, overhearing their conversation.

Raven arched a brow in curiosity. "'Grass stain'?"

The blonde boy shrugged. "It's a long story..."

* * *

So here is chapter three! I'm planning on explaining everything gradually, so I'm sorry if anything in this chapter confused you! If you want, you can make a few guesses on what you're not sure about! Or just leave a review, I love knowing you guys are actively enjoying my work!

Anywhoo, you can follow or favorite as well! Those are pretty awesome, too!


	4. Lobbies

I can't say I own the Teen Titans. Because, well... I don't.

* * *

Garfield grinned animatedly as they entered the Wayne Hotel lobby. It was grand, elegant, and expensive-looking, and he felt the childish need to touch everything. But a quick glance at the emotionless expression of his pale teammate made him repress his immature urges, in turn for something more sophisticated to say. "This place is sweet!"

Raven nodded, seemingly unimpressed. "It's nice," she mused in a bored tone.

Richard smiled politely as he stood beside her, draping his arm over her shoulders in a friendly way. "Feels just like old times, huh?" he laughed.

The dark-haired girl smiled. "I guess I have missed this place," and with a pointed look from the black-haired boy, she rolled her eyes fondly, "_and _you."

Garfield attempted to suppress a growl as he watched them act so chummy. He knew he had no right to be jealous, especially since _he barely knew her,_ which he kept reminding himself. "You used to live here, Rae? Uh, ven!" he corrected quickly.

Raven nodded her head. "Yeah, a couple of years ago; Richard and I were the only two kids here all year long."

The new guy grinned, removing his sunglasses and exposing his light blue eyes. "She was really my only friend; I was crushed when she moved," he teased, shaking her gently.

She smiled a sad smile. "It's a long drive to Jump..." she mumbled.

"Tell me about it! If you were closer, I woulda visited you or something; heck, I barely recognized you today!"

The pale girl let out a dry chuckle. "Really? I could smell your cologne the minute we landed."

The blonde boy continued to watch the two joke around, his jealousy only increasing. Victor gave his best bud a concerned look. "You okay, Gar?"

Garfield's attention immediately snapped to his friend. "Huh?"

The large teen's look of concern grew. "Did you, uhm... did you take your meds today?" he asked in a whisper.

The blonde rolled his eyes in amusement. "I take them everyday, dude. Don't worry, I'm fine," he assured with a grin.

Victor continued to look skeptical, glancing over to Raven and Richard, who were now conversing with a very excited redhead.

"So you do not have a home?" Kori asked in confusion, staring intently at the black-haired boy.

"Well, this place_ is_ my home," he shrugged, avoiding eye contact as he blushed. Raven felt herself smile at how nervous her old friend was around the pretty girl.

"Ohhh," the redhead drawled, finally understanding. "In my home country, everyone had a proper home, so I had not heard of this 'hotel-living'."

Raven shook her head in amusement, before glancing over at the blonde boy. Making eye contact, he smiled warmly at her, causing the pale girl to blush.

"Okay, dearies!" Ms. Mae called excitedly once all the students gathered in the lobby. "Your roommates are your teammates, and there will be one room for the boys, and one for the girls. I know you all are good, sensible teenagers, so I _know _there will be no breaking this rule: no one of the opposite sex shall go into your rooms."

Her announcement warranted a few groans in protest from the guys and a few flirty giggles from the girls. Raven spared another glance at Garfield, who had walked over beside her. "Looks like we won't be spending _too _much time together, after all," she smirked.

The blonde feigned a look of shock. "Raven, are you telling me you're _not _gonna sneak me in?" he teased, earning a glare from the dark-haired girl.

"We still barely know each other; _don't _push your luck with this 'friendship'," she deadpanned, though he could see a hint of a smile.

Garfield adopted a serious look on his face. "I will not disappoint you, _frieeeennd,_" he replied, attempting to hide his grin.

Raven snorted in mild amusement. "You are probably the most annoying guy I have ever met," she admitted, though he sensed the jest in her voice.

He bowed dramatically, earning an eye roll from the pale girl. "Thank you; and you are the most..." he trailed off as he stood straight, unsure of what to say. "Uhm, sarcastic girl I know?" he finished lamely.

"You got that right," Richard interjected, giving the dark-haired girl a pointed look. "And it'll only get worse- trust me."

The blonde teen refrained from rolling his eyes in irritation. So far the black-haired boy had been incredibly nice- and was obviously crushing on Kori- so Garfield knew he had nothing to be angry about, but he still felt a little threatened by their friendship. _Even though I barely know her, and have absolutely _no _reason to feel this way! _he thought bitterly, glancing at the pale girl.

He sighed in contentment, marveling over how effortlessly beautiful she was. He hadn't felt this way about a girl in a long time, nor had he ever felt this strongly. He was certain they had some sort of connection; perhaps some stereotypical "opposites attract" connection, but still, a connection none the less.

Raven felt his eyes on her... again. Sure, they had just spent almost three hours getting to know each other on the plane, but she still felt a little... strange around him. And she couldn't quite place the feeling; it was as if her stomach was doing somersaults. _Maybe I'm just feeling sick from that tofu stuff he asked me to eat? _she thought in amusement.

She wasn't very good at making friends, with Richard being the exception, but she could tell that this boy was eager to get to know her. And what was really confusing was that she kind of felt the same- to a less annoying degree, of course.

"Raven!" a cheerful voice called.

The dark-haired girl sighed, turning her attention to yet another overly-excited person who seemed overly-eager to befriend her as well. _Maybe I just attract happy people? _"Yes, Kori?"

The redhead smiled brilliantly. "Let us take our baggage to our room!" she exclaimed, before giving Raven's hands a quizzical look. "Where are the rest of your bags?"

The pale girl smirked as she carried her two bags. "These are all I've brought."

The look of shock on Kori's face was a few degrees shy of comical. "_What?!_" she exclaimed incredulously.

Raven held back a dry laugh. "I'm a, uhm, light packer?"

The pretty redhead shook her head defiantly. "No, this will not do; we must visit the mall of shopping!"

The pale girl felt herself get even paler at the thought. "N-no, thank yo-"

"We will leave first thing tomorrow morning! Saturdays are our free days," she smiled brightly.

Raven spared a quick glance at Garfield, praying that this would be another conversation he interrupted, but he was busy talking to Victor and Jinx. She sighed in defeat, bracing herself for what she was about to say. "O-okay..."

* * *

So here's chapter four- in case you didn't realize it, since I seem to be saying something like this every chapter lol. But anywhoo, this is chapter four!

I've never ever been on a club field trip, so I'm not sure if they get "free-days", especially since most of these guys are still considered minors and they only have one little chaperon- who's like in her sixties- but for the sake of this story, they do! So if you could suspend your disbelief just a tad, that'd be fabulous!

Oh, and leaving a review would be fabulous as well ;D

Or follow or fav! Those are great too!

Next chapter up maybe today...?


	5. Attractive

The Teen Titans are not something that I own!

* * *

Raven sighed as she set her bags down on the bed closest to the window. She gave the room a skeptical glance, unsure whether or not to feel at home. It was very similar to the room she stayed in when she lived here, only it had three beds instead of one and no kitchen. The pale girl glanced back out the window, admiring the beautiful sight of Gotham. Though she had practically grown up here, it didn't feel like home. It just felt like darkness- even with the sun shining brightly.

"Raven? I must ask you a question," a newly timid voice announced.

The dark-haired girl turned around to face the redhead. "Yes, Kori?"

The pretty girl twirled her hair nervously, staring at the ground. "Is your friend Richard... _just _your friend?"

Raven tried to suppress a smile. "Yes, he is just my friend."

Kori's green eyes immediately lit up in excitement. "Really? That is exceptional news, for I find him very attractive!"

"That's not a surprise," the pink-haired girl mused as she entered the room, carelessly tossing her bags on the remaining bed. "Looks like he's got a thing for you, too."

The redhead stared at her friend quizzically. "A thing?"

Jinx rolled her eyes playfully. "He thinks you're cute, too."

"Oh! That is glorious!"

Raven shook her head in amusement, glancing back out the window.

The pink-haired girl grinned wickedly at the new girl. "So, Rae-Rae, anybody you find 'exceptionally attractive'?"

The pale girl felt her face heat up. "I barely know anyone," she replied casually.

Jinx crept closer, her smirk becoming more devious. "You don't need to _know _a guy to _know _he's cute..."

Raven nervously tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. She never had much experience with "girl talk", and really wasn't very comfortable discussing something so personal with two girls she had met merely hours ago. "Outer appearance isn't nearly as important as what's inside," she responded.

The thin girl crossed her arms defiantly. "Are you calling me shallow? 'Cuz I didn't start dating my boyfriend because I thought he was cute- even though he totally is, by the way- but because he was really sweet... Well, in like a pushy-flirty kinda way."

The dark-haired girl also crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the other girl. "Well, I just happen to put more emphasis on a guy's personally to determine whether or not I find him attractive. Sure, he could be attractive in the sense that he has good features and takes care of himself, but that doesn't mean I'm attracted to him."

Jinx huffed in mild frustration. "I'm not asking you to pick a prom-date; I just want to know who you think is cute!" she exclaimed.

Raven tilted her head in irritation. "But why? What will that accomplish?"

"Oh my god!" the pink-haired girl laughed dryly. "I'm just trying to get to know you, and talking about cute boys is usually a good way to start a friendship!"

The pale girl felt herself blush in embarrassment. "Oh... I'm sorry, I just don't have too many female friends," she admitted shyly.

Jinx waved away the girl's apology. "Whatever, it's cool," she smirked. "Besides, I know someone who thinks _you're _cute."

Raven blushed even harder. "What? N-no way," she replied, clearly flustered.

The thin girl shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll let you figure it out on your own, then..."

* * *

"So how long have you guys known Raven?"

Garfield felt himself tense at the black-haired boy's question. "Just met," he replied casually.

"Really? But she goes to school with you?" Richard went on, confused.

"Nah, she's home schooled but joined the club, I think," Victor clarified as he unpacked. "Right, Gar?"

"R-right," the blonde teen agreed, focusing on unpacking as well.

"Huh," the blue-eyed boy mused. "Real lucky her and I ended up in a group together, then."

Garfield rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Yeah, you guys seemed like great friends- especially not losing contact or anything," he mumbled sarcastically.

Richard gave the teen a confused look. "Well, there was a lot going on... I still consider her one of the best friends I've ever had," he admitted with a shrug. "Why do you care so much?"

"I-I don't," the blonde stuttered. "It's just, I know if Kori moved away, I'd still want to talk to her."

Hearing the redhead's name instantly turned the black-haired teen's skin the same color. "Haha, sooo... is Kori... you know, single?"

Victor grinned deviously. "Yep..."

"R-really?" the teen squeaked, trying to feign nonchalance. "She, uh... she have a type?"

"She likes bad boys with 'the heart of the gold'," Garfield smirked.

Richard nervously tugged the collar of his shirt. "Would you guys, uh, maybe put in a good word for me? Or a, uh, 'bad' word?"

Victor and Garfield shared an amused look between them, before setting their sights on the new guy. "Depends..." Victor smiled wickedly.

Garfield's expression mirrored his best friend's. "What's in it for us?"

* * *

"So Mr. Wayne has graciously volunteered to be a guest speaker and explain to us how he was able to manage his dream!" Ms. Mae smiled sweetly at the head of the table. All the club members were required to eat dinner together every night, except for Saturdays.

Garfield sat at the other end of the table, between Richard and Jinx, with Victor, Raven, and Kori across from them. "I can't believe they don't have tofu!" the blonde boy whined.

"I can't believe you're upset about that," Raven deadpanned, remembering the unpleasant texture of teen's "food."

Victor practically spat his drink onto Richard as he tried to hold in a laugh.

"Oh, friend! Are you doing the choking?" the redhead asked in concern, readying herself to help the large teen.

Victor shook his head, tears streaming from his eyes. "I'm fine, Baby K," he grinned.

Kori nodded slowly, before turning her attention to the black-haired boy. "Richard, is your guardian going to chaperon this trip as well?"

The new guy shook his head, avoiding eye contact with the pretty girl. "N-no, he's just... He likes giving speeches, I guess."

Raven again tried to suppress her smile, truly enjoying her former friend being at a loss for words. She glanced up from her plate, only to see a pair of emerald-green eyes staring at her.

Garfield felt his face heat up the moment the pale girl glanced at him, and he quickly looked away. _Yeah, just stare like a creeper! _he groaned to himself. Sure, he thought the girl was really, really, _really _pretty, but she was also kind of rude. He was really confused as to why he cared so much about what she thought of him, since he barely even knew anything about her- besides the fact that she liked reading and was a pacifist. He spared another glance at her, only to see she was now staring at him with a confused expression. This time she was the one to look away, a faint pink blush staining her cheeks.

_Wow, just stare at him like a weirdo! _Raven thought to herself, embarrassed that she had been caught. She wasn't sure why this boy intrigued her so much, but for some reason she found his constant happiness fascinating- annoying as hell at times, but fascinating none the less. She glanced up again and made eye contact for a third time.

Garfield smiled warmly, not wanting to make things awkward again by looking away. To his surprise and pleasure, the dark-haired girl smiled in return, before focusing on the conversation the others were having. The blonde teen felt his grin subside as he looked down at his tofu-less plate. _Oh, yeah. Dang it!_

* * *

So I kinda sorta lied about when this chapter would be up... I'm sorry! Lol

This is chapter five! Obviously! I'm not sure what to say right now lol

Anywhoo, leave a review? :D


	6. Distractions

I can't possibly own the Teen Titans!

* * *

"Wake up, friend!"

Raven groaned in protest as she attempted to pull her covers over her head, but Kori was not having any of that.

"Oh, no you do not! You promised to do the shopping, Raven!"

The pale girl opened her eyes hesitantly, squinting at the redhead. "What time is it?"

"It is a quarter to eight!" she replied cheerfully.

The dark-haired girl stared at her roommate. "I'm still on west coast time," she yawned.

"There's no use arguing with Kori," Jinx interjected in a bored tone as she lounged lazily on her own bed. "I'm not sure if it's the language barrier, or just because she's stubborn."

The pretty teen smiled sweetly as she pulled Raven out of her bed. "You must begin the grooming!" she announced, ushering the girl towards the bathroom. "I have already done the showering, and I will do my hair while you bathe!"

The new girl sighed in defeat as she stumbled towards the bathroom, her blanket still wrapped around her.

* * *

Garfield laid awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He could hear his best friend snoring from the bed beside him, and made a mental note to buy earplugs. He glanced over at the clock, and groaned when he saw it was not even nine in the morning.

Debating whether or not to get up, his stomach decided to growl loudly. The blonde smiled when he remembered that there was probably still some continental breakfast downstairs, so with that in mind he hopped out of bed, slipped on some shoes, and made his way towards the door.

He opened it to find the door across from him opening as well, revealing Raven and Kori. "Hey ladies!" he grinned.

"Hello, Garfield!" Kori replied sweetly.

"Hi," the pale girl replied less enthusiastically, running her fingers through her damp hair.

The blonde teen smiled brilliantly, quickly giving the new girl an approving once-over. "You guys heading down to breakfast?"

"Actually, we are about to-"

"Yep," Raven replied quickly, earning a confused glance from Kori. "I'm really hungry."

The redhead nodded in understanding. "Very well!"

Garfield grinned as they headed for the elevators. On the way down, he kept sneaking glances at the dark-haired girl, who looked less-than-enthused to be up. "Not much of a morning person?" he asked casually as he purposefully smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt.

Raven spared a fleeting glance at her roommate, who was busy admiring the amount of buttons in the elevator. "Not much of a _shopper, _actually," she corrected in a whisper.

"Ah," the teen smirked. "Kori roped you into a little trip to the mall, eh?"

The pale girl huffed in response, pushing up the sleeves of her purple sweater as she crossed her arms.

The blonde boy twiddled his thumbs nervously. "I probably could, uhm, come up with something to save you... If you want?" he suggested awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. "Kor's pretty easy to distract..."

Raven gave the boy a genuine smile. "That'd be amazing."

Garfield returned the smile as he finally looked at her, before setting his sights on the redhead. "Hey Kor, since you and Rae aren't busy today-"

"Actually, we-"

"-you both should hang with me!" he finished. "Oh, and Vic, whenever he decides to wake up."

Kori gave her friend a sad look. "I am sorry, but we-"

"Richard, too!" the blonde teen blurted, not wanting to let the opportunity of getting to know Raven slip.

Immediately the redhead blushed as she toyed with her braid. "V-very well, Garfield!" she grinned. "If that is okay with you, Raven?" she added uncertainly.

"Sounds great," the dark-haired girl replied, giving the blonde a small smile in gratitude.

Garfield smirked, mouthing the words "you owe me."

The pale girl narrowed her eyes at the boy, un-amused.

* * *

"But Jinx! You mustn't ignore us!" Kori pleaded, giving the pink-haired girl puppy dog eyes.

Jinx shrugged indifferently. "But it's like almost seven back in Jump; I need to video-chat with Wally before his mom drags him to church," she replied as she poked at a strawberry with her fork. "_Saturday _church..." she muttered irritably under her breath.

The redhead continued to pout, not realizing the black-haired boy beside her hadn't taken his eyes off of her. Raven rolled her eyes playfully, thankful that she and Richard were in this group together and were getting along with everybody- well, for the most part.

Garfield continued to get on her nerves, and though she could tell he meant well, it was frustrating having him constantly by her side- like he was right now. It seemed as if he had no sense of personal space; with him constantly leaning towards her to talk or playfully nudging her arm, she felt as if they were conjoined.

The blonde boy was, of course, oblivious to the pale girl's discomfort. He honestly hadn't even realized how in-her-face he was being- he just liked being around her. She was sarcastic, monotoned, and incredibly smug... and he was kinda digging it. Especially when they'd engage in some witty banter, which she would totally own at. He felt like he was getting smarter by just looking at her- something he was doing quite often.

But the teen couldn't help it; she was_ very_ easy to look at. With her porcelain skin contrasting with her dark hair, and her violet eyes shining in irritation, who wouldn't stare? But Garfield wasn't being creepy about it; he was merely appreciating how aesthetically pleasing the young woman was.

Raven was also sizing the boy up. Sure, he had kind, beautiful green eyes, but she found them rather annoying. And yes, his perfectly straight, brilliantly white teeth made for an incredibly charming smile, but she felt it was somewhat lack-luster. And annoying.

And who cares if his face was impossibly symmetrical? Sure, in most cases that meant the person would be extremely attractive, but she felt it was rather... boring? No, annoying. Annoying was the word she was looking for.

"I think we should explore the city a bit today," Victor piped up suddenly, knocking Raven and Garfield out of their mutual state of mind. The two quickly glanced at one another, before darting their eyes away and blushing.

_I hope he didn't think I was checking him out! _the pale girl thought in embarrassment as she nervously tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

_I hope she didn't realize I was totally checking her out! _the blonde teen panicked to himself as he fiddled with his empty cup.

"That sounds glorious!" Kori cheered as she answered the large teen, turning to face the black-haired boy beside her. "Richard, will you give us the tour?"

The new guy laughed awkwardly, avoiding her gaze. "Y-yeah, haha. Sure."

"Sweet!" Garfield declared, setting his hand on the pale girl's shoulder and squeezing it gently. "You know your way around here, too, right Rae?"

The girl shrugged out from under his hold. "It's Raven," she deadpanned, hoping to God she wasn't blushing.

Unfortunately, her pale face decided to turn a light pink color, which the blonde found adorable, and, in turn, caused him to blush.

Victor, being the extremely perceptive eighteen year old man that he was, noticed this exchange, and soon a devious smirk appeared on his face.

* * *

Chapter siiiiiiix! Haha so here it is!

I love Flinx and wanted to add some, but I decided it'd be best to have KF not attend the trip, since I don't want to make Cy a total... seventh wheel? Because I'm not one hundred percent sure that Bumble Bee will be in this, but if she is she'll probably be the super-confident leader of an opposing team- if that sounds appealing at all to any of you? Let me know!

Also, leave a review about whether or not you're feeling this fanfic, or follow or favorite! There were a lot of f's in that sentence! Whoohoo for alliteration :D


	7. Tension

I told y'all that I don't own the Teen Titans!

* * *

"Well, I'm honestly not very familiar with the subway- I usually get around by private cars," Richard admitted sheepishly as the group stood before the subway entrance.

Victor shrugged in nonchalance. "Well, as long as we can find our way back, let's just go for it!"

Kori nodded her head excitedly, while Raven looked on skeptically. "Maybe that isn't the best idea..."

Garfield casually leaned against the pale girl. "Come on, Rae! Don't you know your way around here?"

The dark-haired girl glared at the teen. "It's Ra_ven, _and I hadn't really explored the city too much when I lived here," she replied, bumping him off of her.

The blonde boy rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm sure you know how to get back!" he insisted, linking his arm with hers and pulling her closer. "And if not, Dick here could just call a butler or something."

Richard gave the teen an un-amused look. "I prefer _Richard, _thank you," he deadpanned, before turning his attention to his old friend, "and he's right, Rave- I could always call someone to pick us up."

Raven sighed in defeat as she slipped her arm out of the blonde boy's grasp. "Fine," she began, before giving Garfield a pointed look, "but you really need to learn what personal space means, otherwise I won't be doing anything like this again."

Garfield deliberately took a large step away from the girl, smiling sheepishly. "I'm a quick learner; I promise!"

* * *

The group soon found themselves on the train, heading towards an unknown destination. Richard was sitting beside Kori, finally looking the redhead in the eyes as she told him about her home country. Victor was sitting between Raven and Garfield, tired of them bickering. "Y'all are like an old married couple- and you've known each other for a day!" he exclaimed as he caught them glaring at each other from the reflection across the cart.

Raven rolled her eyes while Garfield huffed in embarrassment, both blushing violently. "It's not my fault he's so annoying," she mumbled.

"I heard that!" he snapped, before leaning forward and turning towards her. "Besides, _you're _the one who smacked my tofu-bites outta my hand!" he bit back, gesturing to the spongey white cubes all over the floor.

"You tried to _feed _them to me!" she seethed, leaning towards him as well. "No means _no, _Garfield!"

"You looked hungry! All you had for breakfast was that nasty tea!" he reasoned, waving his hands around for emphases, and earning a fierce glare from the pale girl.

"It is _not _nasty!" she defended, looking the boy up and down in disgust. "You're obviously not cultured enough to enjoy such a sophisticated beverage."

The blonde teen laughed dryly. "Riiiight, _I'm _the uncultured one- while you're over there promoting the barbaric slaughtering of innocent animals by eating meat!"

The petite girl gaped in shock. "Where did that even come from? Don't you dare try to shove your crazy vegan beliefs down my throat!"

Victor let out a long breath as he used his large hands to push the two teens away from each other. "Y'all need to stop! Raven- no more smacking Gar around, he's sensitive-"

"Hey!" Garfield exclaimed in offense, unwillingly proving his best friend's point.

"And grass stain," the large teen continued, ignoring his friend, "no more shoving _anything _down Rae's throat; whether it's your 'food' or your 'logic'."

Both the teens sat back and crossed their arms. "Fine," they replied in unison.

Victor felt himself smile, before he casually stood up and pushed his lanky friend into the seat next to the dark-haired girl. "Good; now I take it y'all can be civil?"

Garfield glared halfheartedly at his friend while he re-positioned himself beside the new girl. "Whatever," he mumbled, giving her a fleeting look.

As they made eye contact, Raven quickly rolled her eyes and instead focused on the ads above the windows.

The blonde sighed in exasperation. _Great- she hates me! _he thought bitterly as he tentatively played with the zipper of his hoodie. He spared another glance at her, watching as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

Her eyes quickly darted to him, before narrowing as a faint pink blush kissed her cheeks. "_What, _Garfield?" she snapped.

The teen visibly cringed at her harsh tone. "N-nothing," he replied, blushing as well.

Raven closed her eyes as she took a few calming breaths. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that; you weren't doing anything."

Garfield shrugged it off indifferently, though internally his confidence was faltering. "It's fine- I get on your nerves, no biggie."

The pale girl opened her eyes, giving the blonde a sad look. "You don't always..." she began awkwardly. "Just... sometimes- but that's okay!"

The teen snorted in amusement. "Thanks," he replied sarcastically.

Raven slowly rested her hand on the blonde's shoulder, causing his green eyes to widen as he stared at her. "I don't really have friends, so I'm not the best at... being friendly, but I want you to know that... that I appreciate your effort."

Garfield arched a brow quizzically. "Thanks?"

The dark-haired girl shook her head in frustration "Oh my god- I'm just trying to tell you that even though you're annoying, you're also really nice and I am glad you consider me a friend!" she blurted out, earning amused looks from Richard and Kori, and a stifled laugh from Victor, who was now sitting in Garfield's previous seat.

The blonde teen smiled gratefully as his blush mirrored hers. "Thanks, Raven," he replied sincerely, tentatively setting his hand on top of hers, which was still placed on his shoulder. "I really hope you'll soon consider me a friend, too."

Raven looked away, feeling flustered as she removed her hand. "I already do- kind of," she admitted, her face glowing brighter. "Whenever you're not being a total moron, that is," she clarified.

Grinning wider than he ever thought possible, Garfield carelessly draped his arm around her shoulders. "Really? Sweet!" he exclaimed, pulling her towards him in an awkward side hug.

"Personal space, Garfield," she warned, causing him to immediately release her.

"Haha, er... right, Rae."

"Ra_ven,_" she corrected with a smirk.

"_Riiiight._"

* * *

Chapter seven! Whoohoo!

Soooo I love me a little BBRae banter- which the show was full of! And maybe I'm reading into it too much (especially since they're cartoon characters), but I always felt they had so much chemistry and pent-up sexual tension (innocent, kiddy-cartoon sexual tension lol), so I wanted to build their relationship up a little more using that aspect! Anybody else feel that way? Hopefully it wasn't totally OOC!

Anywhoo, leave a review! I love reading what you guys are thinking or feeling! Plus it motivates me to write more ;D


	8. Protection

Nope, the Teen Titans aren't mine.

* * *

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

Raven sighed in exasperation as the blonde boy tried to tell her another one of his lame jokes. She kept her eyes forward on her water, watching the ice melt, and wishing she could evaporate with it.

"Raven, you're supposed to ask why..." he whispered to her, leaning close and breathing on her neck.

The pale girl involuntarily shuddered, before closing her eyes in frustration.

"Why?" a cheerful voice asked from across the table.

Raven opened her eyes to see the curious face of Kori leaning close to them, her eyes wide.

"Uhm," Garfield began, his eyes darting between the dark-haired girl beside him and his old friend. "Haha, actually, I was asking... I mean, I forgot! Sorry, Kor!"

The redhead pouted her lips before sitting back in her seat. "Very well... Do you have any of the jokes, Richard?"

The black-haired boy choked on his soda as he tried to answer the pretty girl, resulting in amused looks from the rest of the group, and flirty giggling from the redhead.

"Oh! You are very funny without the jokes!" she squealed, causing the new guy to blush.

Raven smirked as she looked down at her green salad, and tentatively poked at a tomato with her fork.

"Do you not like tomatoes?" Garfield asked as he observed the girl.

She shrugged halfheartedly. "They're not my favorite."

The blonde nodded in response. "Makes sense..."

Victor watched in mild amusement as his best friend kept trying to start a conversation with the new girl, and failing miserably.

"So, uh... what is your, uhm, thing?"

Raven finally turned to acknowledge the teen, her eyebrow arched quizzically. "My... _thing?_"

Garfield rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Haha, yeah... what Ms. Mae assigned you as?"

"Oh," the pale girl replied, before closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Secretary of defense."

The blonde started laughing loudly at her admission. "Hahaha, really? Oh, that is hilarious! Aren't you a pacifier or whatever?"

The dark-haired girl opened her eyes to glare at the boy beside her. "_Pacifist,_" she corrected with a growl. "And I'm aware of the irony, thank you."

Garfield tried to stifle his laughter when he realized she wasn't finding it funny. "Heh, uh, sooooo... I'm the vice president!" he announced with a grin.

"Well, let's hope there isn't an assassination anytime soon," Raven deadpanned as she sipped her water.

The blonde gave her an un-amused look before directing his attention to his veggieburger. "Yeah, well, at least I don't back down from conflict," he mumbled to himself.

The pale girl set down her water and turned calmly to face her teammate. "Excuse me?"

The teen smiled sheepishly. "Y-yes?"

Raven gave the boy an incredulous look. "I do _not _shy away from conflict; I prefer for there to _be _no conflict, but when push comes to shove," she began, leaning in close until her nose was an inch away from his, "I _don't _back down."

Garfield's breath hitched as he realized how close they were. He momentarily glanced at her lips, before quickly returning his eyes to hers, praying she hadn't noticed. "R-right," he stuttered nervously.

With a triumphant smirk, the pale girl pulled back and resumed her eating.

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion from behind them. The group turned their attention to see two guys entering the restaurant, knocking over a waiter in the process.

"Watch it!" a skinny, black-haired boy growled as the waiter attempted to get back on his feet.

Th other guy, a large, muscular auburn-haired teen, began to laugh loudly, pushing the waiter back on the ground.

Richard stood up abruptly, making his way towards the conflict. The others watched in confusion, before slowly joining him. "Is there a problem?" he asked with an authoritative tone.

The skinny boy gave the group a bored look, though his eyes lingered on Raven. "This idiot just needs to learn how to walk," he sneered, motioning towards the waiter, who was still on the ground.

"Looks more like you need to adopt some manners," Raven deadpanned as her and Kori helped the guy to his feet.

The boy huffed in amusement. "You're right; it seems I haven't introduced myself," he smirked, leaning towards the pale girl and snatching her hand. "I'm Adonis," he announced, kissing the back of her hand.

Raven yanked it away in disgust, opening her mouth to retort, but was interrupted as her blonde group member stood between them. "Back off," he warned.

Adonis put on an unimpressed expression, although he did take a slight step back. "What, are you her boyfriend or something?"

Again, the dark-haired girl attempted to respond, but Garfield cut her off. "Yeah, I am. So I suggest you _back off,_" he growled.

The skinny boy visibly paled at the blonde's reveal, and slowly backed away. "Psh, whatever man. She's not _that _hot, anyway," he shrugged, feigning disinterest. "And this place looks like it has shitty food; come on Mammoth, let's get out of here."

The large redhead snorted in agreement, glaring at Victor and Richard, before turning around and following his friend.

"Well, they were very rude," Kori announced as soon as the doors shut behind them.

"I'll say," Richard agreed, before looking down at all the spilled food. "Need any help?" he asked the waiter, who smiled in response.

The group began cleaning the mess and discussing how rude the two teenagers had been.

"Looks like that Adoofus had a thing for you, Rave," Richard teased.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Good thing my _boyfriend _was here to protect me," she deadpanned, shooting the blonde a dirty look.

Garfield smiled sheepishly, his face turning red. "S-sorry, I just wanted to-"

"Oh!" Kori exclaimed excitedly, causing Richard and the waiter to drop what they had picked up. "I did not realize you two had begun the dating!"

Both Raven and Garfield turned similar shades of red, while Victor laughed wholeheartedly. "Nah, Kor- he wishes!"

"Gah!" the blonde shrieked in embarrassment, glancing at the pale girl. "N-no!"

His best friend continued to laugh, while patting him on the back. "Haha, oh wow, that is too good; y'all shoulda seen your faces!"

Raven stared down at the ground, attempting to ignore the large teen, while Garfield continued to deny everything his friend said. "We're not dating, Kor! I just said that so that jerk would back off!"

Kori nodded in understanding. "Oh, you had lied to protect her from his unwanted attention?"

"Exactly!" the blonde sighed in relief.

"Oh, I hadn't realizing I was incapable of protecting myself," Raven huffed as she stood up and crossed her arms in defiance.

Garfield stood up as well, a sheepish smile on his face. "I just thought-"

"Oh, you were _thinking _during that? I hadn't realized!"

Immediately his smiled faltered, and was replaced by a frown. "I was being _nice, _Raven."

The pale girl snorted in exasperation. "Well, quit it. I don't need you to be 'nice'."

The teen scoffed in defense. "I was only trying to help!"

"I don't _need _your help, Garfield."

"Fine!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "See if I ever try being nice to you again!"

Both the teens turned away from each other, huffing in frustration and crossing their arms, while their team members watched in mild amusement.

"Soooo," Victor drawled awkwardly, turning to the waiter. "Think we can get a couple to-go boxes?"

* * *

Drama! Awkwardness! Two of my favorite things!

Maybe leave a review? That'd be fab! Oh, and those villains, along with a few others, will be making more appearances! So stay tuned, or whatever!


	9. Opposites

None of the Teen Titans belong to me.

* * *

As expected, the group got lost as they wandered aimlessly through a park.

Richard continuously apologized- to Kori, mostly- for being completely useless in finding their way back. Even though he was born and raised in Gotham, he always stayed close to the hotel at his guardian's request.

Garfield wasn't in a hurry to get back, though. He was still a little upset over the fight he had with Raven, but he knew he needed to make things right- for the sake of the team, of course. Tomorrow would be the beginning of the "contest" Ms. Mae had signed them all up for.

Future Heroes of America wasn't just a local club. It had several sister schools competing in the competition as well; first prize being a scholarship to any college for the winning team members, as well as some extra cash to be donated to a charity of their choice.

He knew that the competition would be fierce- the kids from his own school were competitive as it was. Especially Karen Beecher, who was the president of the Blue Team. Not many things scared Garfield; in fact, he could probably list all of his fears on one hand. But the thought of competing against Bee, as was Karen's nickname, was something he had hoped would never happen.

"So are any local Gotham schools competing?"

Garfield abruptly stopped his worrying as his best friend's voice brought him back to reality.

Victor had begun making his way closer to Richard to start a conversation, switching places with Raven as they walked, and Garfield was now strolling along down the path next to her.

He caught her eye momentarily and grinned, but she quickly looked ahead, a blank expression on her face. He sighed in defeat as he listened to the black-haired boy's response.

"Yeah, Gotham High is for sure, and I think another private school on the west side of the city entered as well," he shrugged, adjusting his sunglasses nervously as the redhead beside him leaned in closer to listen.

"That is glorious! It is always good to have some of the competition!" she cheered, clapping her hands in front of her.

Victor grimaced. "Actually, Kor, I think Bee is all the competition I was prepared to handle," he admitted, itching his shaved scalp nervously.

"You got that right," Garfield agreed, shivering playfully. "She's one scary chick- and I'm pretty sure she's got Roy on her team, and you know how crazy he is about winning."

Victor and Kori nodded thoughtfully, while Raven and Richard shared a confused glance.

"Who are they?" the pale girl asked hesitantly, though she purposefully looked away from the blonde, letting him know she wasn't talking to him.

He huffed in frustration while his larger teammate answered. "Bee's this girl who goes to our school- she's top everything. Class president, straight-A student, captain of the volley ball team; a real go-getter," he explained, looking back and forth between the two newbies. "And Roy is the captain of the lacrosse team, as well as the archery team. He's not as smart as Bee, but he is definitely as motivated."

Raven arched her brow as she mulled over this new information, while Richard gave Victor an inquisitive look. "Lacrosse, huh? I was always pretty good at that- when Bruce had let me join a team, that is."

Suddenly, a weird thought crossed Garfield's mind. "Hey, Richard?" he began, leaning forward to get a good look at the boy.

Richard hummed in acknowledgement.

"Why are you on our school's team, and not on one of Gotham's?"

At his question, both Raven and Kori glared at the blonde, though for different reasons. The black-haired boy shrugged. "I guess your school was short a member, and when I asked to be a part of it, they put me on your team."

Victor nodded in understanding. "Jinx's boyfriend Wally was supposed to come, but he had a huge track meet this weekend. You probably took his place- though I wouldn't let Jinx know... She can be a hell of a lot scarier than Bee," he laughed dryly.

Richard took a moment to let his words sink in, before he gulped nervously. "Heh, right."

Kori giggled at his response, while Raven rolled her eyes in amusement. So far, this trip was definitely not what she was expecting, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

She was pleasantly surprised that she had made friends so quickly, and was already feeling fond of them all- even Garfield. And yes, she was still mad at him, but she wasn't _mad _mad; just a little embarrassed.

Since she was so inexperienced with being social, when that jerk was hitting on her at the restaurant, she felt really uncomfortable. No guy had ever really shown interest in her, but instead of being flattered, she felt... sad.

Did she only attract douche bags? He was, after all, the first guy to take notice of her in that way since starting the trip. Why couldn't she be attractive to nice guys? Or smart guys? Or funny-

"I'm sorry for what happened back there."

Raven glanced over at Garfield, her eyes wide. It was as if he was reading her mind.

He gave her expression a quizzical look, and she quickly adopted her signature glare. "It's fine," she deadpanned, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear nervously.

The blonde boy shook his head. "No, it's not. I understand why you'd be mad- I completely embarrassed you," he guessed, shrugging indifferently. "Obviously a girl as smart and... uhm, as smart as you wouldn't date a guy like me."

Raven's eyes softened as she watched the boy beside her hang his head sullenly. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she didn't want to admit to herself that he was actually a really good guy, even though that was probably what he needed to hear right now. Instead, she bumped his shoulder slightly with her own. "Opposites attract," she smirked.

Garfield smiled slightly, before a confused look passed over his face. "Hey!" he cried defiantly, bumping her back. "I can be smart, too... sometimes..."

* * *

Chapter niiiiiiiine! Sorry for the wait! Writer's block and being social for once has giving me less time to write- as well as the fact I'm actually showing up to work lol.

Please leave a review! They are like little presents and I always enjoy reading them- especially since I kicked my online shopping addiction and no longer receive little presents from myself in the mail :(

But anywhoo, review! Or follow! Or favorite! Or PM me some ideas- and thank you **Kaarlinaa** for suggesting the villain thing! It triggered so many ideas!


	10. Flirting

Me no own Teen Titans

* * *

"Okay, man, I gotta ask. Why are you so damn happy?"

Garfield jumped in shock at his best friend's abrupt question. He stared at Victor with a look of pure innocence as he leaned against his head-board and kicked off his shoes. "What are you talking about?"

The larger teen rolled his eyes as he plopped down onto his own bed. "You've been smiling to yourself since the ride back- what happened to get you all dopey?"

The blonde flashed a nervous smile. "Richard got a _limo _to pick us up, dude!" he enthused, though they both knew that wasn't the real reason for his suddenly cheerful disposition.

Victor huffed in annoyance, leaning back on his bed clumsily. "Come on, Gar- I _know _that's not the reason. Give me a little credit; I _am _your best friend, right?"

Garfield groaned in exasperation as he pulled his knees to his chest, leaning his forehead into them. "Don't pull the 'best friend' card," he mumbled tiredly. "We're not chicks, dude!"

Victor let out a dry chuckle as he sat back up and removed his own shoes. "But this is _about _a chick, isn't it?" he guessed as he revealed his feet- one normal, large, slightly smelly foot, and one made of metal.

Garfield watched as his best friend rolled up his pant leg, revealing his prosthetic limb. He began to pull off the tube-like material, causing Garfield to groan again. "Awe, man! Now you're not gonna go down to the cafeteria with me, huh?"

Victor snorted in amusement as he continued to take off his prosthetic leg. "Nah, man. You know when the leg comes off, I'm done for the day- and don't go changing the subject, grass stain!"

The blonde teen smiled sheepishly as he ran his hand through his hair. "What were we even talking about?" he asked with an awkward shrug.

His best friend gave him a look of irritation. "I can tell you like her," he stated matter-of-factly.

Immediately, Garfield's face was consumed by a fierce, fire-y red blush. "W-what?!" he stuttered anxiously, rubbing the back of his neck out of nervous habit.

Victor smiled victoriously as he made himself comfortable. "You're being painfully obvious," he grinned.

Garfield continued to play dumb. "About what?"

"About how whipped you are- a day after knowing her, too! Man, that's gotta be a record."

The blonde teen scoffed, feigning offense. "Please, Vic- I am _not _whipped," he insisted.

The larger teen gave him a pointed look.

Garfield sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll admit I thinks she's _cute, _and sure, I talk to her a lot- 'cuz I want to get to _know_ her. As a _friend_. But I'm not _whipped!_" he elaborated, waving his hands in front of him for emphases.

"Right," Victor smirked, before looking down at his growling stomach. "How about we order some room service?"

Garfield gave his best friend a relieved smile. "Richard's tab, of course!"

* * *

Raven huffed in frustration as she attempted to focus on the book in front of her. Jinx and Kori had gone down to eat dinner with Richard in the Hotel Restaurant, but Raven declined the invitation; opting instead to bask in some alone time.

But what she wasn't planning on was mentally reliving her earlier conversation with her blonde teammate.

The pale girl knew she was being a typical teenaged girl; over-analyzing everything they had said and searching for an underlying meaning, but she just couldn't get it out of her head.

Was she _flirting _with him? Sure, she was being nice, but that was because she felt a little bad for being so mean to him. Plus, she had no idea _how _to flirt.

In the soaps her mother would watch, flirting consisted of makeup covered women batting their eyelashes shamefully at men while finding any excuse to make physical contact, but Raven hadn't done that. She did bump his shoulder- but in a friendly way. And she gave him smile- a small one, of course- but a smile none the less. Smiling was like the first step to flirting, wasn't it? She glanced over at Kori's bed, which was covered in girly magazines and colorful clothes.

_I could take a quick peek... _she reasoned in her mind, before picturing the mindless articles and shallow photos of celebrities, shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts. _No. Definitely not._

She _knew _she hadn't been flirting with Garfield- and if she did, it was only out of pity. Plus, it's not like he would have been able to even _notice _if she had been flirting; he was a little unobservant.

And even if he _had, _he wouldn't give someone like her the time of day; Raven had seen what his female classmates looked like. Kori and Jinx were extremely pretty, and the few others she could faintly picture weren't ugly ducklings either. Raven was unnaturally pale, while all of them- with the exception of her pink-haired roommate- were perfect examples of sun-kissed Californians. They also all looked like they had their own stylists and makeup artists; it was like being in the Barbie section at a toy store.

The dark-haired girl shuddered at the thought of applying anything more than mascara, and she didn't even want to _think _about doing anything with her hair besides brushing it. And squeezing into those little summer dresses and heels? No thank you; she'd stick to her hoodies and Converse.

Sure, being girly had its advantages, and Raven often indulged in some at-home facials and her nails were always glazed with a coat of polish, but that was as much effort she was willing to put in and it obviously wasn't enough to get her noticed by her male counterparts.

At first she had her suspensions that _Garfield _was the one flirting with _her, _but that idea was squashed when she realized he was just an exceptionally friendly person.

She groaned in annoyance as she realized she had, yet again, spent her time and energy thinking about that dumb boy she had met yesterday. She repositioned herself on her bed and returned her focus to her book, finally absorbing the material and appreciating the plot.

But, as luck would have it, her small victory was interrupted by the timid knocking on the room's door.

She sighed as she got up and made her way to answer it. "I told you to bring your key down, Kor-" she began, but realized she was looking into a different pair of green eyes.

"Hey Rae!" the boy who had been occupying her thoughts greeted casually, flashing her a brilliant smile. "You hungry?"

* * *

Chapter 10! Yeah! I feel totes accomplished! Lol

Obviously I added a little tidbit to tie in Victor with his alter-ego Cyborg (though their super-selves obviously won't be in this), and I'm planning to expand on it, as well as some characteristics of the other characters to connect them with their original backgrounds from the show and comics! If you've picked up on the little hints here and there, then I'm very happy cause I can be very subtle and vague when I don't mean to be!

So anywhoo, leave a review, yeah? Yeah! That'd be amazing- I love reviews! Like, I _looooove _them. So much. They make me smile :D


	11. Rules

I don't not not own the Teen Titans!

* * *

Garfield's smile wavered as he waited for the pale girl to respond. Her brows were arched in surprise and her mouth was still slightly agape from when she had first started talking. He noticed the faintest blush on her cheeks, and quickly scoped out her outfit to make sure she was decent.

She had changed since they had gotten back a few hours ago, but that was to be expected. A slouchy, light grey sweater was hanging loosely off one shoulder and her cropped yoga pants revealed her slightly ironic, light pink and white polka dot socks.

His eyes returned to her face, and he noticed she had a reddish tinge encircling her violet eyes. Immediately the blonde boy took a shy step back. _Was she crying? _he panicked. "A-are you okay?"

Raven titled her head in confusion. It seemed like every time she thought about this boy, he appeared. And he was asking if she was okay? Why wouldn't she be okay?

"I'm fine..." she replied slowly as she furrowed her brows. "Why..?"

Garfield gulped nervously; he had no idea how to approach the topic delicately. The dark-haired girl didn't seem like the type to cry in front of others- or even admit to crying at all. "Uh..." he began unintelligently, rubbing the back of his neck. "You look like- it looks like... Have you been crying?"

A bewildered look found its way onto the pale girl's face. "What?" she asked incredulously as she unconsciously toyed with the ends of her half-assed side braid. "Why would I be crying?"

The blonde teen shuffled his feet nervously as he averted his eyes from hers. "Your, uhm... your eyes are all red and puffy," he admitted with a grimace, praying he wouldn't make things worse.

He watched from the corners of his eyes as his teammate stiffened. He spared a quick glance, noticing she looked even more confused than before.

A light bulb soon went off in Raven's mind and she snorted despite herself. Shaking her head in amusement, she gave the teen a humored look. "No, Garfield, I haven't been crying. I washed off my makeup, since it's past eight and I wasn't planning on leaving my room," and with a more sympathetic expression, she answered his first question, "and no, I'm not hungry enough to venture out in public like this," she smirked, gesturing to her slightly blotchy face. "But thank you for offering."

Garfield's grin returned at her reasoning, before fading away again at her answer. He gave her face another inquisitive look, finding no reason as to why she felt she couldn't be seen in public. "Awe, come on, please!" he begged playfully, getting on his knees. "Me and Vic already ordered so much food- plus, you won't even be _in _public! It's called _room_ service," he grinned mischievously.

Raven gave him a tired smile, shaking her head. "Ms. Mae was very specific on her rules when it comes to co-ed rooming," she replied dully.

Standing back up, the blonde began to pout. "But Raaaaaven," he whined, leaning in closer to her. "There's _soooo _much food, and Vic texted Jinx and Kor, but they're-"

"With Richard at the restaurant; yes, I know," she finished as she took a small step away from her eager teammate.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "And me and Vic can't eat it _all _by ourselves- we need you, Rae!"

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes, opting to ignore his use of that irritating nickname. "But the _rules, _Garfield-"

"Forget the rules! Have a little fun!" he insisted with a bright smile.

Raven closed her eyes as she decided between her options.

She could remain in her room alone- probably for the next hour or two- and attempt to read her book in peace, or:

She could throw caution to the wind, break Ms. Mae's rules, and have some actual fun with her new friends.

With a deep breath, she looked into Garfield's hopeful green eyes.

"I... I can't," she replied, internally cringing at the way his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Ms. Mae went out of her way to invite me on this trip, and I'd hate to do anything to jeopardize my place here," she elaborated, not at all okay with upsetting such a cheerful person. "I'm sorry..."

Garfield sighed in understanding. "It's fine; I totally understand," he assured her, smiling despite his disappointment.

Raven returned his small smile. "Maybe next time," she suggested awkwardly. "You know, before I wash off my face," she smirked.

The blonde nodded halfheartedly, before his eyes lit up. "Can I get your cell number?" he asked eagerly, internally smacking himself. "Y-you know, so I can text you beforehand, rather than making the perilous journey across the hall," he added sheepishly.

The pale girl's eyes widened in shock; nobody had ever asked for her number before. "Uhm..." she started, her voice unsure, but as she watched her teammate's shoulders sag yet again, she straightened her own posture and attempted to give him a friendly smile. "Yeah, sure."

Garfield beamed as he dug into his sweatpants' pocket, pulling out his own cell. "Sweet!" he cheered, before blushing fiercely. "Haha, uhm, what is it?"

Raven opened her mouth to reply, before coming to the embarrassing realization that she didn't know her own number. "I'm, uh... I'm not sure," she admitted.

The blonde let out a small chuckle. "Seriously?"

She felt her face heat up as she nodded timidly.

"Then I'll just give you my number," he grinned, putting his phone away.

The dark-haired girl went to pull out her own phone, but blushed harder when she remembered her pants didn't have pockets. "Uh, it's probably in my bag," she guessed nervously, turning around and heading for her side of the room.

Garfield smiled fondly as he followed after her, ignoring the fact he was breaking the rules by entering the room. He glanced around, taking note of the unmade first bed, girly crap-covered second bed, and the exceptionally tidy third bed. "Don't tell me, your bed is the middle one," he teased, leaning against the wall separating the room from the bathroom.

"You're not supposed to be in here," Raven deadpanned without looking up from her bag.

Her teammate snorted in amusement. "Oh, please! It's not like Ms. Mae will ever find out- she doesn't do room visits or anything. Plus, she's like eighty years old- she's probably asleep by n-"

A sudden knock on the now-closed door interrupted Garfield, and he immediately close his mouth.

Raven jumped, turning around to face the noise.

"It's probably just Kori," she whispered, walking slowly towards it. "She hasn't remembered her room key once."

Garfield also turned towards the noise, but instead backed away until he stood right beside the pale girl. "That sounds like something Kor would do," he whispered back nervously. "You're probably ri-"

"Ms. Roth?" a sweet voice called from the other side. "Ms. Anders said you would be up here?"

Both teens felt their blood run cold as they glanced at one another with mirrored expressions of horror.

"Or maybe not," Garfield whispered sheepishly.

* * *

Ahhhhh! Cliffie! Uh oh! What's going to happen? D:

But, those are like the best though, right? ;)

Anywhoo, leave a review, yeah? And btw, this was chapter 11, in case you guys didn't notice, since I always somehow find the need to remind you :P


	12. Excuses

The Teen Titans couldn't possibly belong to me!

* * *

Raven glared at the boy beside her as she tried to remain calm. "I told you that you shouldn't be in here," she seethed, balling her hands into fists.

Garfield smiled nervously. "Hey now, no one's in trouble," he pointed out in a hushed, cheerful tone. "And it's not like she knows you're in here for su-" he began, waving his arms around for emphases, and in the process knocking over a lamp on the small table beside him.

Both teens cringed as the object fell to the floor with a loud crash.

"Ms. Roth? Are you okay?" their naïve teacher called from beyond the door.

The pale girl narrowed her eyes at her teammate. "I'm fine, Ms. Mae," she replied, her voice unnaturally high. "I got caught up on something."

After she finished speaking, she swiftly smacked the blonde on his shoulder, causing him to yelp.

"Are you sure, dear? I heard a crash- did something break?"

Garfield rubbed his arm tentatively as Raven quickly picked up the broken lamp. "No, no; everything's fine," she called, glancing around the room frantically. "I'll be there in just a minute... I'm, uh, changing!"

The dark-haired girl darted to the bathroom, setting the lamp on the counter, and then ran back out to answer her door, before giving her teammate an annoyed look. She swiftly moved towards him, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the bathroom and pushing him towards the shower.

"Hide," she growled, looking between him and the door. "And stay quiet."

Garfield nodded sheepishly as he stepped into the tub and pulled the curtain closed.

Raven groaned in frustration before assuming her signature blank expression and opening the door. "I'm sorry about that," she smiled politely.

Her elderly teacher waved away her apology. "Oh, don't be, deary! I hadn't meant to startle you!"

The pale girl shook her head, sneaking a quick glance at the open bathroom door. "Oh, you didn't- I just wasn't expecting company," she explained, purposefully raising her voice a tad.

Ms. Mae hadn't seemed to notice and instead pulled out her folder from her bag. "Well, if you have time, I'd like to go over some more details of the trip, and how to document this as an extra-curricular activity when you apply to college."

Raven forced a smile, nodding her head. "Alright- let me just put on some shoes, and we can-"

"Oh, don't be silly, dear!" the old woman interrupted sweetly. "We can go ahead and do this all right here!"

The pale girl tried to keep a calm demeanor as she glanced over at the bathroom again. "Well, my roommates haven't been the tidiest-"

"No worries!" Ms. Mae interjected.

"But there's-"

The teacher shook her head as she made her way into the room. "I insist!"

Raven sighed in defeat, sparing yet another lingering look at where her teammate was hiding. She bit her lip nervously as she walked towards the small table that the elderly woman was already sitting at. She cautiously sat across from her, making sure she had a clear view of the bathroom.

"Alrighty, let's begin!" Ms. Mae exclaimed, clapping her hands in front of her. "Now, you may not be familiar with the 'roles' I assigned each of your team members, so I'll start with that! Of course, the president is the one who..."

Raven rested her elbows on the table and propped up her head as she listened to the teacher explain her obvious reasoning.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Garfield nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot, unsure of what to do. The still working lamp from the neighboring room provided him with enough light to make out the different bottles of shampoos and body washes that were already taking over the tub, so in his boredom, he carefully lifted a bottle and sniffed it tentatively.

Scrunching up his nose at the overpowering smell of strawberry, he set it back down, his hands quickly grasping another to rid his nose of the scent. He held back a small noise of disgust at the unappealingly strong smell of coconut, swiftly putting that back as well. Internally debating whether or not to try one more, he shrugged slightly and picked up a third bottle.

This one smelled significantly better- it was floraly, like maybe lilacs or lavender- but it was faint, with a subtle hint of jasmine. He smiled bitterly as memories of his birth mother came rushing back, but shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts.

Raven chewed on her lip anxiously as her eyes darted between her teacher and her bathroom. She was trying to think of an excuse to get the old woman to leave when a blonde head poked into the room.

Covering her gasp of shock with a forced cough, the pale girl quickly stood from her chair, gaining a concerned look from Ms. Mae.

"Uhm, I think I need some water," the dark-haired girl fibbed as she sprinted towards the bathroom.

Garfield smiled sheepishly as he watched his teammate close the door, her eyes set in a fierce glare. She quickly turned on the sink to mask the sound of their voices.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, her face inches from his as he cowered away.

He nervously rubbed the back of his neck, offering her an apologetic smile. "S-sorry; I thought I could maybe make a break for it," he admitted with an awkward shrug.

Raven rolled her eyes in exasperation. Crossing her arms defiantly, she gave the boy a pointed look. "Because she _totally _wouldn't have heard you open the door to leave."

Garfield let out an anxious chuckle as he lowered the toilet lid and sat on it. "Sorry," he repeated, looking up at her with innocent eyes. "I was just getting... tired of standing, and I thought... I don't know," he admitted, hanging his head.

The pale girl sighed, giving him a pitiful look. "I'm sorry, but this is all totally your fault," she mused casually.

Her teammate gave her a mildly amused look. "I don't think that qualifies as an apology, Rae," he smiled as he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing the ends off his forehead.

Raven smirked, shaking her head. "Well, it _is _your fault, Gar-"

"Ms. Roth?"

The dark-haired girl immediately closed her mouth, her eyes widening in fear.

Ms. Mae continued to speak, her voice concerned. "Are you unwell, deary?"

Raven continued to face the closed door, completely speechless. Her eyes practically burned holes through it as she stared at the unlocked doorknob.

"Ms. Roth?"

"Sorry, I'm just a bit, uh, under the weather!" Garfield blurted in an attempt at a girl's voice, which sounded uncharacteristically high-pitched for Raven.

The girl he attempted to mimic whipped her head around unnaturally fast, and the blonde felt himself jump in shock, inadvertently flushing the toilet with his elbow.

The water pouring from the sink sputtered slightly as the toilet bowl refilled, and Raven had to stop herself from mauling her incompetent teammate.

"Are you sick?" their teacher asked.

Raven glared at the teen as she answered in a hoarse voice. "Sorry, my throat is just really sore- Kori had convinced me to sing with her, and I'm obviously out of practice," she lied, furrowing her brows in disbelief at her own excuse.

Garfield stifled his laughter at the thought of the dark-haired girl singing along to one of Kori's boy-bands.

Ms. Mae seemed similarly confused at the pale girl's logic. "Uhm, alright," she chimed sweetly. "Well, I'll leave you to rest your vocal cords, then. We can continue this in the morning, before breakfast."

"Sweet!" Garfield replied in his girl voice, flashing a mischievous smile at his teammate.

"Yes, well, feel better!" their teacher replied awkwardly.

The teens waited with bated breath as they heard the elderly woman gather up her things and leave the room, the door shutting behind her with a quiet click.

"You're such an idiot!" Raven seethed, smacking the boy's shoulder yet again.

"Ow! Stop that," the blonde cried, again rubbing his arm as he stood from his seated position. He gave her a half-hearted glare, his lips pursed in a pout. "It hurts."

The pale girl growled in frustration as she opened the bathroom door and marched across the room to her bag. "If she would have caught you in here, I... I don't even know! We both could have been sent home!"

Garfield sighed as he followed after her. He gave her tidy bed a skeptical look before sitting down at the foot of it. "I'm sorry- I didn't think it'd be a big deal," he mumbled, twiddling his thumbs.

Raven huffed in acknowledgement as she continued shuffling through her bags in search of something. Garfield watched curiously as she found what ever she was looking for and stood in front of him.

"Alright, here," she deadpanned, holding her phone towards him.

He gave it a bewildered look, before looking into her eyes questionably.

She sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes. "Put your number in," she explained, tossing it to him. "That way something like this won't happen again."

He caught it awkwardly as a small smile appeared on his face. "Haha, right," he replied, his smile growing wider as he caught sight of his teammate's slight smirk.

* * *

Chapter 12!

Obviously!

Leave a review?


	13. Competition

The Teen Titans haven't been, nor probably will ever be, mine.

* * *

Garfield sighed, laying on his back on his bed while carelessly tossing his phone in the air. He was really excited about getting Raven's number the night before, but after the initial text he sent to himself from her phone, he hadn't really done anything.

He was a little apprehensive to; especially since she had agreed to exchange numbers to prevent something like what happened last night from happening again. But still, he really wanted to talk to her- actually get to know her a bit.

The blonde smiled slightly when he heard his best friend clumsily put his prosthetic back on, mumbling about the dark. Garfield agreed with his complaint- waking up before the sun rose was awful, but Ms. Mae wanted everyone down in the cafeteria/lobby by 7:30 am so that they could begin the competition and meet the other teams from rivaling schools.

"You up, grass stain?" Victor yawned, tossing a pillow at the teen.

Garfield yelped in defiance, throwing it back. "I've been up," he mumbled in annoyance.

The larger teen smiled guiltily as he turned on the lamp on the end table separating the two beds. "Sorry, man; just didn't think you'd want a lecture from the old hag for being late."

The blonde rolled his eyes in amusement, sitting up and opening the table's drawer. He pulled out a small, orange cylinder and uncapped it. Shaking out a single caplet, the teen quickly popped it in his mouth, using the cup of water on the table to chase it down his throat.

Grimacing in disgust, the boy shook his head animatedly. "Bleh- why the hell does water taste like that after a while?"

Victor shrugged as he slipped on his leg. "No idea."

Garfield arched a brow as he hopped out of his bed and towards the bathroom. "Well, I'm gonna shower, I guess, so if you need to take a leak you better do it now," he remarked casually as he grabbed his bag on the way. "Oops, too late," he smirked, reaching the bathroom before his friend replied and locking the door behind him.

"No problem- I'll just go see if our teammates across the hall will let me use theirs, since they have no problem sneaking you in," Victor's muffled reply came through the door.

The blonde felt his face heat up as he pulled some clean clothes out of his bag. "I don't know why I even told you that!" he groaned back.

He heard his best friend laugh heartily as he walked away from the door.

Huffing in embarrassment, Garfield lazily turned the shower on.

* * *

Raven delicately brushed her hair as she listened to the hum of music coming from the bathroom where Kori was currently showering. Jinx had made a big deal over listening to the redhead's trendy music, but the dark-haired girl could see her roommate nodding along to the beat.

She shook her head in amusement, focusing back on her reflection. Her dark hair was still a little damp, hanging limply against her shoulders. During her rebellious stage, Raven had gotten a very daring haircut- it had been incredibly short in the back, barely touching her neck, but as it went more towards the front, it lengthened, coming past her chin at its longest point.

But that had been well over two years ago, and though the pale girl's hair seemed to grow painfully slow, it was now resting a little past her shoulders in the back, the front draping lazily over her chest. She sighed as she attempted to braid it again, but the differing lengths caused for a very spastic style. Groaning in defeat, she used her fingers to quickly brush the braid out.

"You'd look really good with some beach waves," her pink-haired roommate suggested abruptly, causing the pale girl to jump slightly.

Raven gave the girl a questioning look through the mirror. "My hair doesn't do anything," she confessed bitterly.

Jinx smiled mischievously. "You better not let Kor hear that- you'd become her new test subject," she laughed, pulling her own hair up in an effortless updo. "American beauty fascinates her."

The dark-haired girl gulped nervously as she picked her brush back up and ran it through her locks. "Well, she'd give up quickly- that's for sure," she guessed with a shrug, before a curious look crossed her face. "Where's she from, anyway?"

The pink-haired girl shrugged in reply as she began applying a dark pink lipstick.

Raven watched as her roommate expertly applied her makeup. She glanced back at her own reflection, noting how boring her natural, nude-pink lips looked in comparison to the vibrant, bold ones her roommate was sporting.

Jinx seemed to sense Raven's conflicting feelings as she gave her a skeptical glance. "What, bored with your look?" she guessed.

The pale girl shrugged indifferently. "Maybe a little," she admitted, giving her own features an inquisitive look.

Her lips were a little on the full side; her bottom one, especially. She had a small, button nose, though she felt it was a little too round for her taste. The same thing went for her cheeks, though they finally seemed to be thinning out a bit, showcasing her high cheekbones. Her eyes were almost impossible to describe- they had the intense look of a cat's, mixed with some doe-eyed innocence. The color was strange as well; it wasn't _purple, _yet it wasn't completely blue, either. They were a very deep violet, maybe? She could never really tell, as they often changed shades with her mood.

The one thing Raven was confident with were her eyebrows. They had always been dark and thick, but once she mastered taming them, they framed her face nicely. They had a subtle arch, but not enough to look fake.

"Well, I must say, I'm a little jealous of your lips," Jinx smirked, obviously inspecting the dark-haired girl's features as well.

Raven tentatively brought her fingers to her mouth, prodding her bottom lip gently. "They're okay," she agreed halfheartedly. "But I look so strange with lipstick."

The pink-haired girl grinned as she dug through her makeup bag. "You're just not use to it," she insisted, pulling out a silver tube and shoving it towards the new girl.

She eyed it skeptically, causing her roommate to snort in amusement. "Come on, Rae-Rae! You just need to start off slow- build up your confidence!"

Raven reluctantly took the tube, popping off the cap and twisting the product to reveal its shade. She sighed in relief when she noticed it was a faint, pink color, and though pink wasn't her favorite color- not by a long shot- it was definitely more subtle. She applied it slowly, careful not to smudge it or get it on her skin.

Jinx smiled triumphantly as she watched through the mirror. "You look hot- the boys are gonna be all over you," she teased as she put on a long, silver-chained necklace.

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever," she deadpanned, applying the final touches to her now less-boring lips.

"Gar's gonna have some competition!" her roommate sing-songed in an oddly cheerful tone.

Her words took Raven by surprise as she whipped her head towards the pink-haired girl, smudging the lipstick across her face in the process. "_What?!_"

* * *

Chapter 13!

Haha I'm dishing these out like cray-cray, so be sure not to skip over one by accident (I love how this warning is at the end lol)!

So this was a bit of a filler chapter, but I just wanted to incorporate a few small details that are needed to progress the story!

Anywhoo, review?


	14. Introductions

I don't have the Teen Titans in my possession.

* * *

Garfield smiled confidently at his reflection, his abnormally sharp fangs gleaming. "Looking good, Gar," he mused to himself as he combed his short, yet forever untamed hair.

During his shower, he decided to give himself a little pep talk. Victor was correct with his earlier statement- Raven _had _let Garfield in her room, even though she said she wouldn't. She also gave him her number- which he was obviously very happy about.

Despite the fact that he hadn't _technically _texted Raven, he was feeling extra good about himself for getting her number. It wasn't like he couldn't _get _a girl's number or anything, he just never really tried. He had a few crushes over the years, some more serious than others, but he never really found his way out of the friendzone. But this time, he wasn't just going to befriend this girl and pine over her in secret; he was going to get to know her during this trip, and if he came to the realization that he indeed liked her as much as he thinks he does, she would know.

"Come on, we gotta go!" Victor called, banging on the bathroom door.

The blonde teen grinned as he opened it. "Then let's go!"

He continued hyping himself up as he and Victor walked towards the elevator. Today was going to be a good day for Garfield.

* * *

Raven groaned loudly. Today wasn't going to be a good day.

Jinx had really dropped the ball with her whole Garfield comment- and it was driving the dark-haired girl insane.

She watched impatiently as all the students from Jump City High flocked into the cafeteria- or, "Conference Room", as Ms. Mae dubbed it. Raven sat between Jinx and Kori, feeling even more invisible than usual. The pretty redhead continuously giggled at whatever Richard, who was sitting beside her, had to say. Though Raven loved Richard like a brother, and she though Kori was super kind, they were already starting to get a little annoying.

"Hey Rae!"

Speaking of annoying, the pale girl shuddered as Garfield sat behind her, leaning forward to talk to her, and inadvertently breathing down her neck.

"Garfield," she deadpanned, not bothering to look at him. "It's Raven."

The blonde boy smiled, though she didn't see it, and leaned back into his seat. "How about you call me Gar, and I'll keep calling you Rae?" he suggested.

The dark-haired girl spared a glance at her pink-haired roommate, who was thankfully busy talking to some red-haired boy. Sighing in relief, she turned all the way around to face the boy who had somehow managed to cause her so much confusion in less than 48 hours.

"How about we call each other by the names our parents gave us?" she bit back.

Garfield's cheerful expression momentarily faltered, but he quickly regained his smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Awe, come on- that's no fun," he laughed as he unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair.

Raven noticed his slight change in demeanor, which sparked her curiosity, but she refrained from asking about it. "I don't _do _fun, Garfield," she replied in a monotone.

He opened his mouth to reply, but instead the voice of their teacher filled the room.

"Alright, dearies! Everyone is here, so we shall begin!" she announced cheerfully.

Raven turned around to face the teacher, who was dressed in an obnoxiously bright, yellow-striped dress and matching hat. The plump woman honestly looked like a cartoon, and the pale girl attempted to suppress a smirk.

Garfield was having a similar reaction, covering his mouth with his hand as he shook in silent laughter.

"So, as you know," the elderly woman continued, unaware of the amused looks her students were giving her, "there are three teams from our school; the Red, Blue, and Orange. Each team has a President, Vice President, Chief of Staff, Speaker of the House, Treasurer, and Secretary of Defense. Can I have the president of each team stand up, please?"

Raven looked around the room as three people stood up, one of them being Richard.

"Please introduce yourselves," Ms. Mae demanded sweetly.

Richard opened his mouth to start, but was cut off by a dark-skinned, unruly-haired girl. "Alright y'all, as most of you know, I'm Karen," she smirked, setting her hands on her hips. "But y'all can call me Bee. _President _Bee."

Raven felt the name was fitting as she inspected the girl's outfit. She was wearing a bright yellow, button-up blouse and a black skater skirt and her hair was tied into two, what Raven could only describe as, "puff balls."

"Thank you, Ms. Beecher," their teacher beamed, looking towards Richard next. "Your turn, dear."

Richard smirked confidently as he removed his sunglasses. "Well, I'm Richard Grayson- I don't go to school with you guys; I actually live here in Gotham," he shrugged.

Ms. Mae smiled, before turning her attention on the last student.

"My name's Austin, and I'm the president of the Orange team," the forgettable student announced.

"Alright, sit, sit," the older lady insisted. "Vice Presidents, stand."

Again, the pale girl glanced around at the students standing. She made eye contact with Garfield, who winked jokingly before speaking.

"I'm Garfield; my friend's call me Gar," he beamed, discreetly giving the back of Raven's chair a kick. "Aaaand all of you guys know me already!" he mused, earning a few giggles from the students.

The next person to speak was the redheaded boy beside Jinx. "Roy. VP. Blue team," he stated with a cocky smile.

Raven didn't even bother to listen to the last person, some brunette girl, as she shot a glare at the blonde teen behind her.

The pale girl sparingly listened as Ms. Mae called for the next group to stand. She watched as Kori stood for Chief of Staff, smiling brilliantly and announcing her enthusiasm, Victor stand for Speaker of the House, giving the Bee girl a daring smirk, and Jinx stand for Treasurer, obviously bored out of her mind.

"Secretaries of Defense; your turn!"

Raven felt her nerves jumble inside of her as she stood up slowly, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

The Orange team member went first, introducing himself briefly. Next was the Blue team's.

The dark-haired girl glanced up quickly, her jaw dropping slightly at the black-haired guy introducing himself.

"I'm Garth," he smiled politely, looking around the room. "And, uh, go Blue team," he shrugged, earning obnoxiously loud giggles from most of the females in the room, Kori and Jinx included. Raven couldn't help but notice he was very handsome- despite his mullet, which she chose to ignore.

When the giggling settled down, she realized all eyes were on her. "Uhm," she began nervously, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm Raven- I also don't go to school with you guys, though I do live in Jump," she admitted, hugging herself as she sat back down. She fleetingly glanced at the handsome guy, making eye contact. He smiled politely before turning his attention back to the teacher, causing the pale girl to blush.

"Good thing you're not Speaker of the House," Garfield teased as he leaned towards her again.

Raven rolled her eyes as she turned to face him, unaware of how close he was. She accidentally knocked her nose into his, her previous blush deepening, while a faint red dusted the blonde's cheeks as well.

He quickly leaned away, his blush growing. "S-sorry," he smiled sheepishly.

* * *

Chapter 14!

Yay- more characters introduced! Whoohoo Titans East getting all important!

So obviously the Orange team has like no purpose, so I kinda skipped over them- I didn't want all the important characters to be from the same school!

Anyways, review? And make sure you're not skipping any chapters- I'm slowly developing the characters haha


	15. Stuttering

I want to own the Teen Titans. _Want. _But I don't get everything I want, sooo...

* * *

Ever since Jinx mentioned Garfield earlier that morning, Raven couldn't stop analyzing his every move.

He'd tell her a joke.

_Is he flirting?_

He'd agree with something she said.

_That's totally flirting, isn't it?_

He'd bump into her by accident.

_Oh my god; that's flirting, right?_

She couldn't get the thoughts and questions out of her mind- and she feared she was going to go insane.

Her and her teammates were sitting in the lobby while reading the rule book Ms. Mae had passed out after their introductions. It was a tedious read, even for the pale girl, and she couldn't help but feel a little grateful that Garfield decided to start a conversation.

"Aren't you glad you're on our team?" he asked with a smile, motioning across the room to the Blue team.

Bee and Roy were arguing back and forth, while Garth attempted to play mediator, though eventually the two boys started going at it. The other three members watched wide-eyed on the sidelines.

Raven huffed in amusement before turning her attention back to the book.

The blonde boy sighed in exasperation, somewhat desperate to talk to the dark-haired girl. She had been really jumpy all morning, which made him feel like their little bonding moment yesterday didn't even happen.

But he wasn't going to give up.

"So-"

"Hmm?" she replied quickly, her eyebrows practically joining her hairline.

Garfield gave her a bewildered look- this girl was really starting to confuse him.

"So," he repeated, looking around the room awkwardly, "are you ready to meet the rest of our competition?"

As soon as he said "competition", Raven was reminded of Jinx's teasing words. She knew it was ridiculous to think the blonde actually _liked _her like that; first of all, he went to school with girls like Kori, and secondly, they barely knew each other. She just needed to suck it up and ignore her roommate- the pink-haired girl was obviously just trying to get a rise out of her. She spared a glance at her teammate, making awkward eye contact.

Realizing he was still waiting for a response, the pale girl began blushing. "I guess," she shrugged, hoping the color on her face wasn't as bright as it felt.

Unfortunately, Garfield took notice right away. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, resting the back of his hand on her forehead as he leaned closer to her, blushing slightly himself.

Raven's face flushed even more, and she quickly scooted down the couch away from him. "I'm fine; just a little hot."

"I'll second that."

The two blushing teammates turned their heads to see the smirking face of the jerk from yesterday.

"What are you doing here?" Garfield growled.

"Please tell me you're not in this club," Raven sighed.

The skinny boy grinned menacingly. "What's the matter, doll face? Aren't you happy to see me?" he sneered.

The dark-haired girl spared a quick glance at the blonde, who gave her a questioning look.

"D-did you forget about the fact that I have a b-boyfriend?" she stuttered, blushing even more.

Realization dawned on the guy's face as he gave the blonde beside her a fleeting look. "No, I didn't," he replied confidently, though he did take a slight step back. "I just thought you'd like to know what it's like to be with a real man."

"What- are you supposed to be a 'real man'?"

Garfield and Raven gave Richard a thankful look as he finally tore himself away from shamelessly flirting with Kori.

"Get out of here, Adoofus," he finished, crossing his arms.

"It's Adonis," the teen seethed.

"We don't give a damn," Garfield smirked, relishing in the opportunity to drape his arm over the pale girl.

She stiffened at the contact, but made no move to get him off of her as she continued glaring at Adonis.

"You can leave now," she deadpanned.

Adonis glanced around the room nervously, as if he were looking for someone, before his eyes settled on their pink-haired teammate. "_Jinx?_" he asked in a harsh tone, clearly surprised.

She smiled smugly, giving him a small wave. "Donnie," she sneered.

He continued to stare at her incredulously. "You go to school with these losers?"

She stood up confidently, crossing her arms as her book fell to the floor. "Please, I'm _friends _with these losers," she bit back with a smirk.

"I can really feel the love, Jinx," Garfield muttered under his breath, earning a glare from the pink-haired girl and a giggle from Kori.

Adonis snorted in amusement at her reveal. "Wow, you've really downgraded- Gizmo's gonna lose it when he hears how far you've fallen."

Jinx rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "How's the little twerp doing, anyway? Can he finally get on the rides at the fair?"

"Shut your pie-hole, princess."

Everyone turned their attention simultaneously to the new voice as a short, bald, grumpy-looking teen walked up with the large auburn-haired teen from the restaurant.

The pink-haired girl let out a dry laugh. "I guess not," she taunted, giving the small boy an amused look.

"Friends, please! Why are we speaking with such harsh words?" Kori asked innocently as she stood to join the conversation.

"I say we save this for the competition," Victor suggested from his seat, before giving the other guys a questioning look. "Y'all _are _in the competition, right?"

The largest of their group snorted. "Yeah, and we're gonna kick butt," he gloated.

"Shut up, Mammoth," the short one growled, pulling his friend away. "And you better watch your backs, crud-munchers, 'cuz we are gonna win this stupid thing!" he called over his shoulder.

Adonis smirked at them, gave Raven a wink, and then followed after his friends.

"Please tell me you weren't actually _friends _with those guys?" Victor laughed, looking up at Jinx expectantly.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I was a different person before transferring to Jump," she smirked. "Although _they_ haven't changed one bit; I am surprised they're in a club like this, though," she mused.

"Yeah, they don't seem like the do-good type," Garfield agreed, forgetting his arm was still slung over Raven's shoulders.

She tried to casually remind him by wiggling slightly out from under him. He gave her a sheepish look, removing his arm quickly.

"Sorry," he mumbled with a shy smile.

"It's fine," she replied awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. "And, uhm, thank you for pretending to be my... you know... again," she added quietly.

He gave her a reassuring smile, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Haha, anytime- or uhm, you know, if there's ever another guy giving you a hard time- which I'm sure there will be! I'm not saying you won't have this problem again, 'cuz you're, you know, pr- er, uhm, a girl!" he stuttered, cursing himself for being such an idiot.

Raven nodded her head, her eyes focused on the rule book. "Well, we should get back to reading this- that way we can beat those guys," she suggested.

The rest of her team agreed, sitting back down and flipping through their own copies. The pale girl spared a quick glance at Garfield, smiling slightly at his flustered appearance.

_Now that definitely _wasn't _flirting! _she laughed to herself.

* * *

Oh, how wrong you are, little Raven!

Lol so much drama- am I right? It's like OMG, you are cray-cray!

Anywhoo, review?

Lmao I feel so stupid 'cuz when I first went to post this I posted a chapter from "The After Party" on accident hahahaha omg I'm glad I realized!


	16. Teasing

I own nothing. Nothing, I tell you! Not a house, not a car (actually, that's a lie), and not even the Teen Titans! I am a man of few possessions (actually, that's a lie, too. I'm a girl with a crapload of clothes)

* * *

"So basically we're just running our own little country?"

Raven let out an exasperated sigh. She had expected Richard and Kori to pair up and do their research, leaving her to be with Jinx. But by some cruel twist of fate, Victor declared the pink-haired girl as his partner, and pulled her off towards the Blue team to "spy."

Leaving the pale girl alone. With Garfield. _Again._

It was like she couldn't get rid of him, and every time she found herself actually tolerating him, he'd say something stupid.

"Yes, Garfield," she groaned, her elbows resting on the table and her head leaning in her hands. "But with someone like you in charge, it's more like running it into the ground," she muttered.

The blonde let out a snort of amusement. "Good thing I'm the _vice _president, eh?" he laughed.

Her posture straightened slightly in response; she hadn't expected him to hear that.

"I have really good hearing," he confessed, as if reading her mind.

She shrugged her shoulders indifferently, instead focusing on the flash card before her. Being Secretary of Defense left her with the exciting task of figuring out how to defend their country, which was temporarily named "Logania" due to the lack of imagination her group possessed. Ms. Mae had passed out "Situation Cards" to each student, and it was their job to find a solution to help their country prosper.

And apparently _Logania_ had a bit of a tiff with their neighbor.

"This is so stupid," Raven deadpanned as she tried to figure out a nonviolent approach to her "situation."

Garfield leaned over her shoulder- invading her space was apparently his favorite thing to do- and read her situation card out loud. "'A neighboring country has declared war over a border dispute - it is up to you to take further action.' Huh."

She rolled her eyes in frustration as she pushed his face away. "What's yours?" she asked, hoping to distract him from her fire-y blush.

Thankfully, he took the bait.

"Uh, okay," he began, scooting his chair back to the table. "'The president is sick-' heh, poor Dick, '-and you are temporarily in charge. Please consult your country's Secretary of Defense for your situation.' Hey! Would you look at that!" he laughed, elbowing her softly. "Looks like it was fate!"

Raven glanced towards the ceiling, wondering what she had ever done to deserve this punishment.

"So what's the plan?" Garfield continued, ignoring the dark-haired girl's obvious annoyance.

Casting him a tired glance, she sighed, "Pacifist, remember?"

He couldn't stop his grin as he stared at her mildly irritated expression. "Then we'll settle this with peace!" he declared, raising his fist in the air. "And love, of course," he added, batting his eyelashes playfully.

Raven smiled despite herself- she had to hand it to him, he could be kind of amusing. "Is there any other way?" she mused, batting her eyelashes in return.

He snorted in amusement, looking away from her and back at their cards as he tried to fight back his blush. He was beyond ecstatic that she seemed to finally be coming out of her shell, but he wasn't prepared for the increased attraction he felt for her. Now, not only was she pretty and smart; he had to add "funny" to the list, too.

But he needed to become her friend before anything else could happen. He had tried and failed before by diving head-on into a relationship with a girl he had barely met, and that had turned out pretty ugly. So he was determined to make Raven his friend, even if it led to nothing beyond that.

Raven blushed as well as she pondered over her own feelings. As much as she hated to admit it, he was becoming an actual friend to her- though her expertise on friendship wasn't the best. But regardless, Garfield was nice and seemingly an open-book; something she found incredibly refreshing. She had already dealt with enough lies for her lifetime.

"So how about we just let them change the borders?" the blonde suggested after a somewhat awkward silence settled between them.

Raven arched her brow. "And just let the citizens living in cities on the border change their nationality? Or move?" she deadpanned. "Can you actually attempt to think?"

Garfield glanced up quickly, letting out a sigh of relief at her smirk- she wasn't being serious. Well, at least not _completely _serious. "Heh, yeah... bad idea," he replied sheepishly.

The pale girl let out a sigh as well when she realized he knew she wasn't trying to be mean. A life full of tragedy and sorrow tended to make someone cynical, though he obviously had no idea what she had been through. Maybe she'd tell him- if she decided to actually let him in.

"Obviously we'd have to call in a meeting with their leader- come to a compromise, rather than a war, but still keep our land. There's not much else we could do, since these are fictional countries and we can't actually have a meeting," she mused, tapping her fingers on the table.

"Yeah, I don't get how this is going to help me with my cat sanctuary," Garfield groaned, leaning his head against her shoulder.

She attempted to ignore their new position, though her blush told otherwise. "It's a government-based club, Garfield. You would have been better off joining the Animal Rights Club."

He let out a bitter laugh, lifting his head back up and looking her in the eyes. "Says the pacifist," he smirked.

She narrowed her eyes playfully. "I did this for my resume- extracurricular activities look great on an application," she explained.

"Oh, so you're just that stereotypical, over-achieving home-schooled weirdo?" he teased, leaning back in his chair.

Raven scoffed in mock-offense. "Well, I'm not some over-socialized bigot," she bit back, suppressing her smirk.

The blonde shrugged indifferently. "I don't know what that means," he admitted with a grin as he laced his fingers behind his head.

The pale girl shook her head in amusement. "That's because you're not an over-achieving home-schooled weirdo."

He rolled his eyes fondly, happy she could take a joke. "Come on, Rae- you and I both know you tagged along for the social aspect; you thought that 'hey, maybe I'll meet an incredibly handsome and funny blonde guy'," he laughed, attempting to mimic her monotone voice.

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she gently smacked him on his chest. "Riiiight- I'm really disappointed it didn't happen," she drawled.

Garfield huffed in amusement as he sat back up. "Uhm, _hello,_" he grinned, motioning to himself.

Raven gave him an inquisitive look. "Pretty sure 'handsome' and 'funny' were on that list, Garfield," she smirked.

He glared halfheartedly at her. "That's cold, Rae."

She shrugged as she stood from her seat, gathering up their situation cards. "It's Raven," she corrected with a small smile.

* * *

So I decided to let them continue their everlasting witty banter, but have it be a little more playful- them fighting all the time can get pretty taxing, and make it seem like their upcoming and unavoidable looooove came out of nowhere!

But seriously, my favorite thing ever is banter between couples in denial! All that tension? Ah! I love it!

Anywhoo, review?


	17. Appearances

I dnt wn th Tn Ttns

* * *

Garfield couldn't help but grin as he watched his pale teammate walk away, but it quickly subsided when she bumped into another student and dropped everything in her hands.

"I am so sorry," the walking mullet droned, helping Raven pick up the wayward cards.

She looked up at him, readying her signature glare, but at the sight of the Blue team's Secretary of Defense, it came out as more of a doe-eyed stare. "Oh, it's n-no problem," she rushed out, clearly flustered.

Garfield had seen enough.

"Whoa there, Garth! Do you just go around knocking up girls?" he laughed, before feigning embarrassment at his own choice of words. "Whoops, I meant knocking _down._"

Garth smiled politely. "Hello, Gar. I'm glad you were able to make it on this trip," he remarked, nobly ignoring the blonde's jab.

Garfield felt at little disheartened at the "heart throb's" response. Garth was a really nice, polite guy- making him look bad in front of Raven would be a hard feat, and he just wasn't up to it.

"I'm glad, too," he replied with a forced smile. _Damn him for being so nice. What a douche. _

Raven seemed to finally come back to her senses as she blinked at the scene before her. This guy was beyond hot- and he was talking to her! But of course her stupid teammate had to mess it all up. It was a shame- she actually found herself liking the blonde's company. Too bad he had to die.

"Th-thank you for, uhm, helping me," she piped up, earning the handsome teen's attention.

He looked down, seeing he still had one of her situation cards in his hand. "No problem," he smiled, handing it back to her.

The dark-haired girl happily accepted it, her eyes watching him dreamily.

Either Garth didn't notice, or he was use to being stared at like that. "And again, I'm terribly sorry- I wasn't watching where I was going."

Raven waved off his apology, inadvertently smacking Garfield on the arm, who yelped in surprise.

She shot him a quick glare, which he returned.

Garth smiled at the exchange, before nodding his head in goodbye and continuing on his way.

"Wow, Rae. I'm surprised- I thought a girl like you wouldn't turn into a blabbering preteen at Mulletlad's presence," Garfield mused casually as he made his way across the room towards Kori and Richard.

The pale girl continued to glare at him. "What do you mean, a girl like me?" she snapped, feeling slightly offended as she followed him.

He shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance, casting her a knowing glance. "A girl who's _smart._"

* * *

"So I saw you and Garth crash into each other- and don't you dare tell me it was an accident, Rae-Rae."

Raven rolled her eyes at her pink-haired roommate. "It _was _an accident," she deadpanned.

Jinx huffed in annoyance, glancing across the table at Garfield and Victor, who were busy arguing about what to get for lunch. The team had decided to eat at the hotel's restaurant- Richard's treat, of course.

"Nobody just _accidentally _runs head-first into the cutest guy at Jump," the pink-haired girl continued.

Raven gave her a skeptical look. "Don't you have a boyfriend?" she reminded gently.

It was Jinx's turn to roll her eyes. "Every girl at Jump has a crush on Garth- Wally has to accept it. Hell, all the guys accept it." She then narrowed her eyes slightly, glancing at the blonde knowingly. "Well, _almost _all the guys."

The dark-haired girl followed her gaze, before giving her roommate a tired look. _This again? Really? _she thought in exasperation.

"It is true!" Kori piped up from the other side of Raven. "Garth is a boat of dreams, and every girl is doing the crushing," she sighed.

Richard's face turned an odd shade of red as he obviously eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Awe, does Dick have a crush on Garth, too?" Jinx teased, noticing the black-haired boy's expression.

He let out a dry laugh. "Totally- if only I went to Jump," he replied sarcastically.

Kori perked up immediately. "Oh, it would be most glorious if you did, Richard!" she exclaimed, causing his face to redden further.

Hearing the redhead's excitement, Garfield turned his attention away from his best friend. "If Richard did what?"

"If Dick came to Jump so that he and Kor could have a proper wedding," Jinx teased, rejoicing silently as the two blushed even more.

Victor gave a hearty laugh, and even Raven smiled at her friends' flustered expressions. She spared a quick glance at her blonde teammate, who was giving her a dazed look.

"What?" she deadpanned, though his gaze did make her feel a little self-conscious.

He shook his head, smirking slightly. "Sorry, just spaced out," he replied, a blush tinting his cheeks pink.

"He does that a lot," Victor grinned, smacking his friend on the back. "We tried x-raying his head at the doctor's once to see if he had a brain, but the nurse stopped us."

Raven arched a brow as her curiosity sparked a bit. _Why were they at the doctor's together? _She knew she wasn't up to par with the rules of friendship, but taking a friend with you to a routine check-up didn't seem likely.

As if sensing her curiosity, Victor shot the blonde a worried look, but Garfield only twitched his lips as he redirected his sights on the table.

Now Raven was _really _curious.

* * *

Sitting through the meeting wasn't as boring as Garfield had expected- especially since he got to sit between Raven and Victor. All the other schools had been introduced, and every student was crammed into the hotel's actual conference room.

So far Jump City High had the most students, followed by Gotham High, with one less group than them. The private school, St. Luther's, only had one group, and Jump's rival, Hive Academy, had one as well. And of course, when introducing themselves, Adonis again winked at Raven, who huffed in disgust.

Now all of them were listening to Hive Academy's club supervisor, Mr. Blood, drone on about the rules. Again.

Garfield sighed, leaning slightly onto Raven, who gave him an irritated look.

"What do you think you're doing?" she growled, tensing up a bit.

He gave her a cheeky smile. "Keeping up appearances," he teased, motioning with his eyes to the Hive students, who were repeatedly sending their team looks of contempt.

The dark-haired girl blushed slightly at the prospect of everyone thinking she was actually dating the blonde. Sure, he wasn't unattractive or anything, and Jinx had even mentioned that he caused a number of girls to turn their heads in the halls, but this was _Garfield. _She had known him for barely three days and already decided he was infuriating- why would she want people to think she was dating him?

But at that thought, she started to wonder why she even cared. It wasn't like she'd ever see these people again; who cares what they thought.

She exhaled slowly, relaxing herself. She decided to make the best of this situation and meditate- something she hadn't really got the chance to do since arriving.

Garfield felt her settle into her seat. He watched from the corner of his eye as she closed her eyes and began breathing at a slow, practiced pace. Not wanting her to get in trouble, he gentle nudged her. "Don't fall asleep on us, Rae," he whispered.

Her eyes opened immediately, set in a glare. He was beginning to wonder if her face was programmed to do that.

"I'm not sleeping, idiot," she hissed, balling her hands into fists in her lap. "I'm trying to meditate."

Garfield gave her a bewildered look. "Why?"

Raven let out a groan of frustration. This boy would be the death of her._  
_

* * *

Chapter 17! Yay!

Lol do not fear! Raven is not crushing on Garth! It's just an attraction! There was a boy at my high school who had a similar thing going on- he was nice, attractive, and every girl was crushing on him- though nobody did anything about it. But all the guys accepted it. My friend's boyfriend even teased her about him, which was really funny. But back to the story- so yeah, it's not a serious crush or anything, because I absolutely loathe love-triangles. Bleh.

And AquaRaven? Double bleh! (No offense to anyone who ships those two, but it's BBRae all the way for me)

Anywhoo, leave a review?


	18. Effortless

Anyone wanna go halfsies for the rights to the Teen Titans? I'd like to be able to say I own them lol

* * *

"Oh! That is glorious, Richard!"

Raven tried not to roll her eyes as her long-lost friend and current roommate started flirting. Again. It was like they couldn't keep away from one another, and every time the group was together, they'd _have _to be next to each other. It was beyond annoying.

It wasn't like she was jealous or anything. Richard was very attractive, and there was a time (years ago) when she thought she liked him, but his big-brother aura was so prominent that she couldn't really see him as anything more than a friend. Besides, after she moved to jump, she discovered what crushing _really _was, and why it was named so accordingly.

The pale girl shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. She had always tried to keep the past in the past, but seeing the black-haired boy was stirring up memories- memories she _really _didn't want to stir up.

She attempted to focus back on the present, but realized she would just be watching Kori and Richard tiptoe around each other. Was it really possible for two people to fall for each other this quickly?

Garfield was in a similar boat as he tried to block out the redhead's giggling. So far, Richard was a really nice guy (and generous), so he didn't need to get all protective of Kori- especially if Victor wasn't. The larger teen was like the big brother of their little rag-tag group, that really only consisted of the blonde himself, Kori, Jinx, and Jinx's boyfriend Wally. Sure, they were friends with Bee and Roy, and Garth was always a nice guy (when he wasn't busy making every girl fall in love with him), but they didn't really have anyone else.

Garfield glanced up from his half-eaten dinner, only to see the pink-haired girl across from him glare at her phone. _Wally, _he thought fondly, knowing the track-star was an expert at pissing his girlfriend off.

He smirked slightly as he watched her text back angrily, before he turned his head to the side to see the new girl. He felt his face heat up against his will as she tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed.

Raven was _really _pretty. Kind of scary and sarcastic and rude? Yeah, but pretty nonetheless. The blonde knew that if he let himself crush on her, it'd only lead to disappointment, but that didn't mean he couldn't be her friend and constantly talk to her and sneak peeks at her and admire her beauty, right?

He knew Victor was surprised by his latest "infatuation." The larger teen was his best friend, and knew him better than anyone else, but it apparently came as a shock when he had caught Garfield staring at the pale girl on the first day. Of course, he handled it like any other mature teenage boy- by teasing the blonde relentlessly.

"Yo, Gar! Quit spacing!"

Garfield was knocked from his thoughts at the sound of his best friend's voice. His eyes ripped away from the dark-haired girl before she'd notice his obvious ogling, and focused instead on the larger teen beside Jinx. "Huh?"

"You need some brain-food, man. Obviously your tofu crap isn't supplying enough nutrients- heck, you're not even eating it!" Victor snorted as he shoveled his own meat-filled spaghetti in his mouth.

Garfield rolled his eyes at his friend's taunt. Meat vs Tofu was like their thing- it was a never-ending battle, sometimes breaking out into actual fights.

"My tofu was genetically engineered to supply me with all the protein and nutrients I need to sustain a healthy life-style," the blonde smirked. He had literally memorized the guarantee on the tofu's packaging for this very situation.

"Wow, those were some pretty big words, Garfield," Raven deadpanned from beside him, arching her brow slightly.

Garfield couldn't help but beam at her sort-of compliment. "Thanks, Rae- I do pride myself on my extensive knowledge of everything that is tofu," he replied nonchalantly.

The pale girl snorted in amusement before turning her attention back to her own meal, which consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup. Watching her eat (in a non-creepy way, of course) made Garfield realize something- he hadn't once seen her eat meat. Sure, she never claimed to be a vegetarian or deny his accusations of being a murderer (which he later apologized for), but maybe she was being polite and just not eating meat in front of him?

He almost laughed out loud at that thought- like she'd care enough about his feelings or beliefs to do that. But still, the question was now floating around in his mind and an answer would probably be nice.

"Hey, Rae?" he asked hesitantly.

She gave him a half-hearted glare as she turned to face him. "It's Raven, Garfield."

"Raven," he corrected with a playful eye roll, "do you eat meat?"

The pale girl regarded him skeptically. "Occasionally," she admitted, immediately not liking the way his eyes lit up as she continued, "but not too often, and it's mostly seafood or chicken."

"Sweet!" the blonde exclaimed excitedly. He had a slight habit of trying to convert his friends into vegetarians, and it seemed like Raven's transition would be effortless.

She eyed him cautiously as he smiled at her. "Okay?" she replied, obviously confused.

Victor huffed in mock-irritation. "Awe, hell no grass stain! You are _not _turning a sweet girl like Rae into your crazed vegan girlfriend!" he exclaimed jokingly.

Both teens blushed fiercely at what their teammate was implying. Sure, they didn't deny the rumor, since Adonis could easily find out if it spread that the two really weren't dating, and even though he was a scrawny guy, Jinx had admitted that it wouldn't be wise to mess with him. Apparently he had "connections", and it'd probably be bad if he found out Raven was actually single. He was rumored to be a little... pushy.

So the two "lovebirds" sat awkwardly next to each other at the dinner table, surrounded by people who thought they were actually dating.

Raven let out a small sigh as she absentmindedly stirred her soup. This trip was _definitely _not what she was expecting.

* * *

So I realized I'm like almost to twenty chapters and we're still only on the third day! Haha at least these chapters are on the shorter side, but still! Do you guys think I need to speed up a bit? I really don't want to rush their relationship, but I don't want to skip ahead too quickly to get to a good point (like having them know each other for more than a week before they start getting all personal lol), so I'm in a really weird position!

Anywhoo, leave a review of what you think I should do! Or follow or favorite!


	19. Maroon

The Teen Titans haven't been owned by me, but one day... one day they might just be!

* * *

"Because yooooou are my truuuuue loooove!"

Raven pulled her pillow over her head tighter as Kori's voice rang out from the bathroom. The redhead seemed to be very fond of singing in the shower, and her song choice left much to be desired- as well as her singing voice.

The pale girl sighed into her mattress when she realized sleeping was no longer an option. She peeked out from under her sound barrier in search of her phone, which was on the nightstand between the beds. She hurriedly snatch it up and pulled it under the covers with her to check the time. Pressing the unlock button and squinting at the light, she was greeted by a peculiar sight- the new message icon.

Curious, she pressed it.

_Hey Rae! You up?_

It was from "Gar;)".

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, debating whether or not to respond. On one hand, it would only encourage him to pursue their friendship, but on the other hand, she had already told him they were friends. She sighed in defeat and quickly replied.

_I am now. _

Not even a minute later the screen lit back up. She smiled despite herself as she read it.

_Did I wake you? Sorry :P_

Why was this boy so nice? It was frustrating beyond belief. She set her head in her hand as she texted him back.

_No - Kori did. Apparently our bathroom is a recording studio_

Again, her phone lit up almost instantly.

_Let me guess, it's either a British boyband or a childstar "finding herself" _

Raven actually let a small giggle slip as she read his reply.

_Pretty sure one of them is Irish_

She had just pressed send when her covers were ripped off of her. She let out a small gasp of surprise and rolled onto her back, giving her pink-haired roommate a fierce glare. "What the hell?"

Jinx let out a curt laugh as she threw Raven's covers on the other side of the bed. "Sorry, Rae-Rae; I just got curious as to why you were giggling under there," she admitted with a smirk, before the pale girl's phone caught her attention. "Ooooh, who you texting?"

Raven rolled her eyes in annoyance as she sat up. "Nobody- I was just checking the time," she lied, her face turning a faint pink color.

Her roommate gave her a skeptical look. "Really?" she grinned, before crossing her arms over her chest. "Alright, what time is it?"

The dark-haired girl felt her face heat up even more. "Almost seven?" she guessed.

Jinx shook her head in amusement as she walked back over to her own bed. "It's about a quarter _after _seven," she laughed, plopping back down on her bed and pulling out her own phone. "Which means you have less than an hour to get all pretty for Gar."

Raven blushed even more at her roommates words. "Riiight, I forgot I have to impress my _fake_ boyfriend," she replied sarcastically as she climbed out of bed and towards her bags.

The pink-haired girl shrugged indifferently. "Only if you want him to become your _real _boyfriend."

The pale girl paused momentarily, before shaking off her roommate's words. "Yeah, right," she deadpanned, gathering up an outfit for the day.

She timed it perfectly as Kori stepped out of the bathroom in her underwear with a towel wrapped around her head. "This is a morning of good, is it not?" she asked sweetly.

Raven attempted to hold back a snort at the lack of modesty her foreign roommate seemed to possess. "Fantastic," she muttered, maneuvering around her and into the bathroom for her own shower.

* * *

Garfield checked his phone for the eighth time after sending his last message, which jokingly accused his pale teammate of being a fan of Kori's music. He hoped she hadn't gotten offended, because he had barely managed to work up the nerve to text her.

He sighed to himself, glancing at the clock above the TV. It was nearly 7:30, and Ms. Mae had instructed all the students to be downstairs in the lobby by 8:00. He groaned in exasperation as he jumped up and quickly hopped in the shower.

* * *

Raven wiped away the fog on the bathroom mirror and studied her reflection. Her face was a little red from her shower, and she looked half-asleep without her makeup. She usually did her makeup in the other room, where the light in front of the mirror was a little less harsh, but she didn't want to deal with Jinx's teasing, so the florescent lighting in the bathroom would have to do.

She pulled out her foundation from her small makeup bag and applied a little to her cheeks, hoping to cover the redness and conceal the blushing she was bound to be doing later. With a dab of concealer under her eyes and a few swipes of mascara, she decided her makeup routine was finished. She pulled off her towel and combed through her wet hair before pulling it up into a messy ponytail, letting a few pieces in the front frame her face.

She then slipped on a plain, black tank top over her bra and stepped into a pair of faded grey jeggings. She rolled her eyes at the lack of color she was sporting, and quickly pulled on a maroon hoodie. With a distasteful glance at her chipped, black nails, she slumped out of the bathroom and right into her cheery roommate.

"Oomph!" the redhead mumbled, before smiling brilliantly at the dark-haired girl. "Oh, Raven! This color is most glorious on you!"

Raven smiled weakly, muttering a quick thanks as she glanced around the room for her shoes. Spotting her plain, black flats, she hurried over to them, ignoring the curious look the pink-haired girl was giving her.

Jinx let out a low whistle. "Well, I can't say you put in much effort, but Gar isn't too picky," she teased as she squeezed into her own skinny jeans, which was slightly surprising seeing as she was already a naturally thin girl.

"I don't care what Garfield thinks of me," the pale girl replied tiredly as she slipped on her shoes.

Her roommate huffed in amusement. "Whatever."

Raven rolled her eyes again as she followed Kori out the door, only to be greeted by the blonde slipping out of his own room.

He immediately gave her a smile, before his eyes focused on her hoodie. He then glanced at his own outfit and let out a small chuckle. "Wow, Rae! We're matching!" he teased, gesturing to his own maroon pullover.

Raven closed her eyes in frustration as Kori grabbed her and Garfield by the wrists and dragged them to the elevator, rambling excitedly about the upcoming day.

Garfield rolled his eyes fondly at his friend, before sneaking a peek at the dark-haired girl. She opened her eyes and looked back at him, giving him a small smile.

He happily returned it.

* * *

So I think Jinxiepoo is sensing something between our lovebirds! Maybe she'll elect Vic's help in setting these two up? Unless they've already started..!

And it seems Raveypoo is warming up to our little Gar! What will the rest of the day bring?

Anywhoo, review?


	20. Curiosity

I am not an owner of the Teen Titans.

* * *

Garfield couldn't help but glare at Richard as he leaned against the back of Raven's chair and read over her shoulder. He knew that they were just friends, but it kind of pissed him off that the black-haired boy was so chummy with the pale girl, and at the same time hitting on Kori. Just because he was _rich_ didn't mean he had the right to be such a _dick. _

He let out a small chuckle at his own joke, filing it away to tell Raven sometime- after he figured out where she stood on her friendship with the hotel heir.

Raven gave the blonde beside her an irritated look as he began to randomly laugh. Ms. Mae had announced that the competition had officially started today, and as a "country", they were supposed to raise money for their "citizens", which was really a charity the teams would choose. And right now, _Logania_ was figuring out who their citizens were.

"I say you can never go wrong with helping out orphans," Richard mused casually.

Hearing his suggestion, Garfield immediately became serious. "Or kids in foster care," he added, leaning closer to the pale girl as he, too, read the list of charities available.

"Or kids with physical disabilities," Victor piped up as he swung his leg onto the table and rolled up his pants. "PE can be a real pain in public school," he laughed, knocking on his prosthetic.

Raven's eyes widened slightly in surprise- she hadn't realized Victor had a prosthetic leg.

Richard seemed just as curious as he voiced aloud what Raven had been thinking. "Do you mind me asking what happened?"

The large teen shrugged nonchalantly. "Nah, it's cool," he grinned, setting his leg back on the floor. "Accident at my dad's work- I was actually pretty lucky."

The pale girl nodded cautiously. "How old were you?" she asked hesitantly.

Victor gave her a sad smile. "Fifteen."

Garfield shuddered slightly as he remembered the day it happened. They were supposed to hang out later in the afternoon when his foster mom got the call. They immediately rushed to the hospital to see him, and the blonde visited him everyday until he was released three months later. After all, Garfield kind of owed him- Victor never missed one of his own appointments.

"I'm sorry," Raven replied quietly. She wondered if anything had happened to his father, but refrained from asking. She didn't want to remind Richard of her own situation.

Victor waved away her apology with a smile. "It's cool, Rae! Everything happens for a reason, and if this didn't happen to me, I would have never found my calling as a doctor."

The dark-haired girl smiled back. She could actually picture her kind, burly teammate as a surgeon.

All this talk about doctors suddenly reminded Garfield that he had neglected to take his pill earlier. "Awe, shit!" he exclaimed, standing from his seat and sprinting towards the elevator. Raven watched him go with a curious expression in her face.

The blonde rubbed his arm nervously as he watched the floor gauge go up. Once it hit the 28th floor, the doors opened and he quickly rushed towards his room. With the slide of his room card, the door unlocked and he hurried towards the nightstand.

Missing a pill didn't affect his health too much, but it did cause him to be rather irritable, and he didn't want anyone besides Victor knowing about his condition. He popped open the cap and quickly dry-swallowed the small capsule, cringing slightly as it slithered down his throat.

Meanwhile, in the lobby, Raven found it hard to focus as she waited for Garfield to return. She had pieced together that the word "doctor" must have triggered something, and the case seemed more and more likely as she remembered Victor's slip up from the other day.

Something was wrong with her blonde teammate, and she couldn't figure out for the life of her why she cared so much. It wasn't that she _shouldn't _care, it was just that she felt she _needed _to know, which was ridiculous. She couldn't expect Garfield to spill all of his secrets, especially when she had plenty of her own. She tried to shrug off her impatience as she attempted to listen to her teammates discuss their other options.

Garfield gave a wary sigh as he rode the elevator back down to the lobby. He realized his sudden departure was probably not the smartest thing to do if he wanted to keep his condition a secret; especially since his pale teammate was a very observant girl. _Pretty and smart,_ he mused to himself, shaking his head.

The doors hissed open as the elevator dinged, signaling he was on the right floor. He slowly made his way back to his table, ignoring the strange looks he got from his classmates who had seen him rush by earlier.

Raven tried to hide her surprise as the blonde plopped down next to her, his face flushed from running. He caught her eye and gave her a cheeky smile, which she returned slowly.

He could sense her curiosity, and prayed that she'd refrain from asking- at least while they were surrounded by their group. He then made eye contact with Victor, who gave him a knowing look as his eyes darted between him and the dark-haired girl. Garfield furrowed his brows, silently pleading with his best friend not to mention anything. Victor nodded in understanding.

Raven pretended not to notice the exchange as she listened to Kori read aloud the rest of the charities.

"And there is even one for the animals!" the redhead exclaimed cheerfully, giving the blonde a knowing look. "Isn't that wondrous, friend?"

Garfield smiled at the excitable girl. "Sweet! Our citizens can be cats!" he laughed.

Kori clapped her hands in front of her in agreement. "I do love the cats!" she grinned.

Richard gave her a dopey smile as he nodded in agreement. "So donations to the CAAC sound like a good plan to everyone?"

Kori and Garfield expressed their agreement with large smiles, while Victor rolled his eyes fondly and Jinx shrugged, opting instead to text her boyfriend. All eyes then turned to Raven, who was still deliberating over the silent conversation between the blonde and his best friend.

"Yo, earth to Rae?" Garfield laughed, gently shaking her shoulder.

She immediately snapped out of her thoughts and looked around in confusion. "What?"

Richard gave her a kind smile as he pointed to the charity of their choice on the list in front of her. "Does Citizens Against Animal Cruelty sound like a good charity?"

"Caac?" she sounded out with an apprehensive expression, earning a few muffled giggles from her teammates. "Well, it's certainly a fitting name," she replied sarcastically.

Garfield let out a snort of amusement. "Did Raven just make a vomit-joke?" he teased.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I believe they're called _fur balls,_ Garfield- I expected someone with a name like _yours _to know as much," she bit back.

The blonde held his hand to his heart in mock-offense. "Well, being that my name is popular for cats, you do realize I trump you on the food chain, don't you, _Raven?_"

The dark-haired girl lightly smacked him on the shoulder. "Shut up," she smirked.

* * *

Another chapter? With more hints about Gar's condition? But no solid information? Gasp! Aren't I a tease? ;)

Anywhoo, review?


	21. Butterflies

Teen Titans not mine lol

* * *

"Alright, Ms. Mae approved our charity! Now we can start raising money!" Richard announced smugly.

Raven rolled her eyes as Garfield and Kori started clapping animatedly.

"Sweet! Who could resist kittens and puppies!" the blonde exclaimed, slinging his arms over both the pale girl's and the redhead's shoulders.

"I am sure no one can!" Kori replied cheerfully, her hands clasped before her. "We will do the raising of the most dollars, correct?"

"You know it, Baby K!" Victor grinned.

Jinx responded with the twirl of her finger as she texted with her other hand.

Raven let out an amused sigh at how excited her teammates were- she never knew charity work was considered this much fun. It seemed like everyone- excluding the pink-haired girl- couldn't wait to get started. Sure, she was happy that they would be helping out homeless animals, and in the end, if they raised the most money and had the most success with their "country", they'd each get scholarships and another hefty donation. But at the same time, it seemed like her team wasn't going to take this seriously, and Raven could really use the scholarship.

"Well, how about we actually get to work?" she suggested as she discreetly tried to get out from under Garfield's arm.

The blonde didn't seem to notice as he pulled her closer to him. "Yeah, Rae's right! We need to figure out ways to tug at everyone's heartstrings!" he grinned.

The pale girl huffed in irritation, giving up on her quest of getting away from him. She was starting to realize how pointless it was.

"Oh! We should do the selling of baked goods!" Kori squealed, ripping herself out of Garfield's grasp.

Raven watched with envy.

Richard smiled at the redhead, about to agree and commend her on her great idea, but was interrupted by three of his team members yelling a consecutive "NO!"

Kori's face fell immediately.

"I, uh, I mean... that's a good idea, but..." Garfield started warily.

"...but baking is a craft, and... and..." Victor tried to finish.

"Kori can't bake to save her life," Jinx blurted, finally tucking her phone into her pocket. "No offense."

The redhead nodded solemnly in silent agreement.

Richard gave her a pitiful look, and Raven couldn't help but smile at his obvious display of affection. She knew the black-haired teen was guarded, and rarely ever let anyone in, but she could tell he had fallen hard for her roommate in the short time they had spent together.

"Well, you seem like a creative girl; maybe you could decorate the cupcakes- or whatever it is we decide to bake," he suggested sweetly.

Kori's eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly pulled Richard into a fierce hug. "Oh! I am very happy you have the faith in me!"

Raven watched as her friend's face turned red, though she wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or lack of air.

"N-no problem," he managed to get out. The redhead continued smiling as she released him, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

Garfield grinned at the exchange. He knew Kori was naïve and a little too trusting, which meant keeping her away from guys who would use her was tough- especially when she was such a beautiful and kind person. He and Victor knew they had their work cut out for them when they befriended the foreign girl, and so far they had kept her away from heartbreak. And even though the mutual attraction was obvious between her and Richard, their "brother" senses weren't tingling too much, though the blonde still didn't like how close Richard and Raven seemed to be. But when he stopped to think about it, he realized it was probably just his jealousy clouding his judgement.

As his mind wandered to the pale girl (like it had been this whole trip), he realized his arm was still around her, and she didn't seem to be fighting it, though she didn't look pleased. He slowly pulled it off of her, trying to make himself seem casual, but he knew his blush was giving him away.

Raven gave a relieved sigh as Garfield finally released her, and spared him a fleeting glance. It appeared he hadn't even realized what he had done as he continued grinning at the redhead's excitement.

"And I have watched many of the televised programs with the cake decorating, so I am assured in my own capabilities from the 'watching and the learning'!" she enthused while hopping up and down.

Raven rolled her eyes fondly, though she felt her stomach churn uneasily as the redhead grabbed the blonde's hands and made him jump with her. Garfield happily complied, laughing along with his friend.

This was a strange feeling for Raven; why was she all of a sudden... _jealous? _Garfield was a pain, and she should have been ecstatic that he wasn't invading her bubble, but instead she felt... upset. She figured it was because boys had never paid much attention to her, and it didn't help that Jinx put the idea in her head that the blonde teen was possibly interested in more than friendship. But did that mean she was just imagining his seemingly undivided attention towards her? Was she just seeing things she wanted to see, since his carefree personality made it so easy? Was he just a total flirt, and she was just caught up in the newness of the situation?

The dark-haired girl shook her head, cursing herself for being so worried. She knew she didn't care if Garfield thought of her in that way- or if he didn't. They had known each other for less than a week.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Garfield quickly snatched one of her hands and attempted to make her hop with them. She glared at him halfheartedly, telling herself that the fluttering in her stomach was _not _butterflies, and she was in no way _relieved _that he was paying attention to her again.

The blonde grinned at Raven's obvious annoyance- getting a rise out of her was quickly becoming one of his favorite pastimes.

"Come on, Rae! Get excited!" he laughed, yanking her arm up and down as he jumped.

She huffed in irritation. "Excited for what, exactly? That we're planning a bake sale?" she replied incredulously. Sure, it sounded somewhat fun, but their excitement wasn't really warranted. "Maybe I'll be excited if we actually _win _this competition."

Garfield stopped his hopping at her words and gave her a pointed look. "How do you expect to win with an attitude like that?" he teased.

"She's right, grass stain," Victor piped up. "I know you and Kor can get a little ahead of yourselves, but we don't have anything to celebrate right now, so instead of hopping around, let's actually make a plan. A bake sale is a great idea, but obviously not enough. We could sell shirts, drop off donation boxes at several businesses, and maybe organize some kind of function."

Richard nodded in agreement. "And we can't forget to focus on our 'country'; raising money is only half of what we're expected to do."

Raven smiled gratefully at Victor and Richard's voice of reason. They were right- they needed to focus to win. This _was _a competition after all.

Garfield gave a defeated sigh- he forgot that this was going to require work. He looked down to show his submission, and realized with a jolt he hadn't let go of the pale girl's hand.

She seemed to notice at the same time, and quickly pulled it away, a bright red blush on her face.

Garfield smiled sheepishly, ignoring his own blush, while Raven again told herself that those _were not _butterflies in her stomach.

* * *

So it looks like Rae-Rae is starting to get use to all this attention! Hopefully this won't get ugly!

Also, I want to stress the fact that even though Raven and Gar aren't going to jump right into a relationship, it doesn't mean Kori and Richard won't. I feel like those two would totally be that "love at first sight" kind of couple lol

Anywhoo, review?


	22. Bonding

If you take the time to read this, you will come to the realization that I do not own the Teen Titans, but I really wish I did.

* * *

"You know, you're a girl..."

Raven held back a snort of amusement at her friend's observation. "Thank you Richard; I'm glad someone has noticed," she replied sarcastically.

Richard blushed slightly in embarrassment as the two made their way towards the hotel restaurant's kitchen. Being the adopted son of the hotel owner definitely had its perks.

"You know what I mean," he laughed, nudging her with his elbow.

The pale girl rolled her eyes fondly. "I suppose I do."

"Yeah," he breathed, before a nervous expression painted across his face. "K-Kori's a girl, too," he mumbled.

This time Raven couldn't hide her amusement. "Wow, Dick. You should be a detective- that was impressive."

The black-haired boy closed his eyes in frustration with himself as they finally entered the kitchen through the employee-only doors. "God, I'm so bad at this," he muttered.

Raven decided to take mercy on him and pulled him towards the pantry- even though it had been a few years, she still remembered her late-night snacks with Richard and the layout of the kitchen.

"Stop being awkward; tell me what you want to tell me," she demanded once they were safely hidden.

Her friend gave her a tired look as he nervously rubbed his arm. "I think I like Kori..." he mumbled, looking towards the floor at the end of his admission.

Raven reminded herself not to roll her eyes as she gave him a blank look. "Really," she deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Richard let out a sheepish laugh. "Okay, so you knew already."

"Everyone knows; as good as you were at hiding things, I'm surprised you were so obvious with this," she mused, a small smile playing at her lips.

The black-haired teen's jaw dropped slightly at her words. "What do you mean, _everyone _knows?!"

"Well, _everyone_, as in each individual person on this planet, and _knows_, as in you practically have a neon sign above your head that reads 'I'm crushing on Kori'."_  
_

Richard gave her another playful nudge, before a terrified expression made its way onto his face. "Does _Kori _know?!"

Raven looked at him with sympathy. "Kori isn't very familiar with the 'American courting', but I think she has her suspicions," she confessed.

At the look of utter horror on her friend's face, the pale girl realized she left out one very important detail.

"Oh! But she likes you, too," she added quickly.

His horror immediately turned to a form of giddiness and confusion. "How do you know?"

Raven shook her head in amusement. "Well, girls apparently talk about cute boys as a way to 'bond'; much like you and I are doing right now," she smirked. "Only in this case, your 'cute boy' is a girl, and as usual, I have no other interest in the matter."

Richard gave her a knowing look. "So you're telling me there wasn't a guy _you _were discussing?" he teased.

"Do you _know _me?" she asked incredulously, though she could feel herself blushing. _Oh god, please tell me he isn't referring to-_

"Gar seems to have taken a liking towards you," the black-haired teen mused casually, obviously happy that he was no longer under the microscope.

The look of horror on Raven's face was a few degrees shy of comical. "_Garfield _is just a pain in my ass- besides, have you seen the girls he goes to school with? They're practically Barbie dolls- not that I care," she defended, avoiding his prodding gaze.

Richard continued to give her a smug look. "Something tells me 'Barbie' isn't Gar's type," he grinned.

"Can we please stop calling him 'Gar'- that's like admitting you're friends with him," she complained, attempting to change the subject.

"From what I've heard, you've_ already _admitted to being friends with him," he bit back.

"Only to get him off my back- that boy is the definition of irritating," Raven replied haughtily, obviously uncomfortable with the subject. _First Jinx, and now _Richard? _Is everybody trying embarrass me?_

"Hmm, how about we make a deal?" Richard announced suddenly.

Raven gave him a wary look; she didn't like where this was heading.

"You talk to Kori- find out if she _really _likes me, and if it's safe for me to, you know, make a move," he continued, taking the dark-haired girl's silence as a yes, "and _I'll _talk to Gar and find out what he thinks about you."

The pale girl shook her head animatedly. "No way! First of all, you're asking me to _willingly _have girl-talk with _Kori- _the definition of pep and all things happy. Secondly, I don't _care _what Garfield thinks of me- he is infuriating," she growled. "Plus, he wouldn't like a girl like me," she added matter-of-factly.

Richard rolled his eyes in amusement. "Please just do this for me, Rave," he begged playfully. "And wouldn't knowing if Gar likes you make things easier? You know, ease your mind if he doesn't, or figure out how not to lead him on if he does?"

Raven groaned in exasperation- she knew her friend was right. "Fine," she seethed, "but only 'cuz I don't want to give _Garfield _the wrong impression."

Her friend's face lit up immediately at her agreement. "Thanks, Rave," he smiled, clearly trying to contain his excitement.

The dark-haired girl let out a huff of amusement. "I don't even get how you could already be crushing on Kori," she admitted. "Honestly, you've know her for like four days."

Richard instantly turned red as the tables were turned back onto him. "I-I don't know," he stuttered, rubbing his arm nervously. "She's just, you know, really nice and beau- er, pr-, uhm... attractive."

Raven furrowed her brows in confusion. "Just because someone's nice and cute doesn't mean you'll automatically crush on them- don't you have to get to know them first, before you could determine that?"

The black-haired teen rolled his eyes fondly. "Not everything is so complicated, Rave," he laughed, patting her on the back. "Now, not that I haven't enjoyed bonding and catching up, but we really should gather up the supplies- do you know what all we need for cupcakes?"

Raven immediately adopted her signature blank expression. "Do I _look _like someone who bakes?"

* * *

So this chapter was really just to show that Raven and Richard still have somewhat of a "bond" even after the few years where they didn't get to see each other. It's also kind of showing Rae that she definitely over-analyzes everything- especially when it comes to Gar. I'm going to delve deeper into Rae's apprehension with relationships in the next few chapters, as well as build up the RobStar. But fear not, the BBRae is on its way, and it will be fluffy to the max, with a tad bit of angst and a pinch of... adventure? Hmm...

Anywhoooooooo, reviewwwwww? And to those of you who have reviewed, I love you guys! You're the best!


	23. Advice

I told somebody I owned the Teen Titans once. I was lying. :(

* * *

"So... _Kori_... how do you feel about... _Richard?_"

Raven shut her eyes tightly as she waited for the redhead's response. In a strange twist of events, the girls were in the lobby, managing _Logania_, while the boys were upstairs in Richard's penthouse suite, making cupcakes.

"Richard is very kind!" Kori replied cheerfully as she decided on the laws of _Logania_.

The pale girl opened her eyes and nodded in agreement- Richard was very kind. _And pushy,_ she thought with a smirk. "Right- but do you... you know, like him?" she pressed.

"Very much so! I consider him a friend already!"

Raven let out a frustrated sigh- this was going to be a lot harder than she thought. "A... _cute _friend, right?"

The pretty redhead slowly looked up from her laptop, her green eyes wide. "Is this the girl-talk?" she asked seriously.

"K-kind of..."

Raven jumped in shock as her foreign roommate let out an excited squeal, earning a few curious glances from the others in the lobby.

"Oh, joy! I have wanted to do the girl-talk with you to solidify our friendship, but I feared I would be overstepping the boundaries you set!" she exclaimed excitedly.

The dark-haired girl attempted to respond, but the redhead's voice drowned her out.

"I think I am doing the crushing on Richard!" she admitted with a brilliant smile, and a slight blush.

Raven arched her brows curiously- this was suddenly too easy. "You are?"

Kori nodded animatedly while Jinx smirked from behind the rule book she was reading.

"He is kind, and attractive, and the more I get to know him, the more certain I am of my crush!"

The pale girl let out a sigh of relief. _Mission accomplished,_ she mused to herself, happy that the girl-talk was short and sweet.

"Do you feel the same about Garfield?" Kori asked expectantly.

Immediately Raven's face fell as it became covered in a fiery red blush. "_What?!_"

* * *

"Kori's really hot."

Garfield tried to stifle his snort of amusement at Richard's sudden announcement as he watched Victor glare at the rich boy.

"Don't even think about it, pretty-boy!" he warned, shaking a batter-covered beater at him. "I know how you 'heirs' work- find a pretty girl, get cozy, and never call her! I have seen plenty of daytime television!"

The black-haired teen's face paled at the larger teen's rant. "I-I'm just saying, she's a very p-pretty girl!" he stuttered, holding his hands up in defense. "And I'm not one of those partying, drugged-up frat-boy wannabes!"

Victor still looked skeptical, but returned to his mixing. "Well, a term like 'hot' isn't what a decent guy would call a girl they find attractive," he grumbled.

"Yeah- that term is reserved for actresses and female lifeguards," Garfield added with a smirk as he put down the cupcake liners in the pan. "You're supposed to use sappy words like 'beautiful' when you're talking about our girls- otherwise Vic here will skin you alive."

Richard nodded awkwardly. "N-noted."

The blonde gave him a friendly grin before discreetly checking his phone. He was debating whether or not to text Raven, but wasn't sure if she had her phone on her.

"I actually feel the same way when I hear guys taking about one of my girls," the black-haired teen agreed, giving Garfield a pointed look.

The blonde looked at him quizzically. "You have girls, too?"

Richard snorted in amusement. "Yeah- well, just one actually," he elaborated. "You know, Raven."

Garfield suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "W-what do you mean, Raven's your girl?" he asked hesitantly.

"You know, she's my girl; my friend- practically my sister. Well, long-lost, estranged sister," the black-haired boy explained with a shrug. "Though actually, I never really had to deal with guys hitting on Rave, since we were the on-"

"What, are you saying she's ugly?" Garfield interrupted incredulously. Raven was _far _from ugly, and if that was what Richard was getting at-

"Of course not, Rave's very pretty, it's just-"

"Do you like her or something?" the blonde interjected rudely.

"Do _you?_" Richard bit back.

Garfield opened and closed his mouth in shock as he tried to find his voice. He had literally been asking himself that question for the last several days. Did he think she was pretty? Obviously. Did he like her personality? Aside from her snarky remarks, she was actually fun to be around, so, yes. But did he _like _her? He didn't want to, that was for sure. At least not _yet, _anyway.

"J-just as a friend," he replied, blushing furiously. "I barely know her, dude."

Richard rolled his eyes in amusement. "You've known her as long as I've known Kori. S-speaking of Kori, I think I might ask her out- i-if you guys don't mind?"

Victor gave him an inquisitive look. "I don't know; we'll be leaving next week, and you might not ever see her again. I don't want you breaking her heart."

Garfield nodded in agreement, hoping that this would distract everyone from the earlier topic.

The black-haired boy blushed in embarrassment. "I know- I'm not asking for her hand in marriage! I just think she's cute and she seems really nice and I want to take her to dinner this Saturday," he mumbled quickly.

Hearing his explanation, Victor let out a hearty laugh. "Alright, pretty-boy! But make sure she has the time of her life- and if you're _not _the perfect gentleman, just know that I _will _come for you," he warned while pouring the batter into the cupcake pan.

Richard nodded sheepishly as he tugged on the collar of his shirt. "O-of course!"

Garfield gave him a knowing smirk, before leaning in closer to him. "Just a word of advice- Kor loves American food; specifically anything with mustard," he whispered, elbowing the black-haired teen playfully.

Richard rolled his eyes fondly at the blonde. "Thanks for the heads up; I'll return the favor whenever you decide to admit you like Rave," he teased.

Again, Garfield began to blush fiercely. "Hehe, w-what?"

* * *

Another chapter! Whoohoo!

Ah! Girl-talk and... is it dude-talk? Lol

So I have a random question- for all of you guys not from the US, do you read their dialog in an American accent, or in your own accent? I'm just curious haha.

Anywhoo, leave a review! That'd be amazing! And thanks again to those of you who always do! You guys are amazing!


	24. Frosting

I don't own any aspect of the Teen Titans.

* * *

"Eeeeeee! Richard has done the texting and told me that we can begin the decorating of the cakes!"

Raven and Jinx both shared an exasperated look as the redhead continued to express her excitement with shrill sounds.

"They're just cupcakes, Kor- no need to have a panic-attack," the pink-haired girl teased as she got up from the lobby's couch. Raven followed suit, still a little traumatized from her earlier conversation.

Jinx and Kori had somehow managed to get her to admit that Garfield was an above average young man in the looks department. Raven was mature enough to acknowledge one's physical attractiveness, but she would not _lie _about having a crush on someone. And she did _not _have a crush on Garfield. The idea was completely absurd.

The pale girl knew what it was like to crush, and she was not planning on doing it again anytime soon. Especially after an incident that happened after she had moved to Jump two years ago. She didn't want to go into detail, but she let Jinx and Kori know the jist of it- girl meets cute boy, cute boy leads girl on, cute boy uses girl, girl plans future as a cat lady. Textbook stuff, really.

Surprisingly, _Jinx _was the one who told her she didn't have to say anything more if she didn't want to. And Raven _really _didn't want to.

"Come on, Rae-Rae! It's a long way up to the penthouse," the pink-haired girl smirked, knocking Raven from her thoughts.

She rolled her eyes in amusement as she followed her roommates to the elevator. When she had lived here, she had spent a lot of time in the penthouse with Richard, since they were each other's only friends. It was a nice escape from her own room adjoined to her parent's room a couple of floors down, where she could hear them constantly fight. Pushing away that thought, she was a little excited to see it again, since it _was _a penthouse suite in a super fancy, 5-star hotel.

Raven briefly paused her train of thought when she realized they were about to go into _Richard's _room- and even though Ms. Mae didn't say anything about _Richard's _room, she wondered if it was still breaking the rules. The pale girl quickly shrugged away her bad feeling, instead focusing on her happier memories in the hotel- at least, the ones before everything went terribly wrong.

"It'd be so cool to live here!" Jinx exclaimed as soon as they stepped onto the top floor and walked towards Richard's room.

Kori hurried ahead, pounding excitedly on the door. "Friends! We are here!"

Raven rolled her eyes as she came up behind the redhead, holding the laptop under her arm. "I think you might have to knock louder, Kori," she drawled sarcastically.

The redhead was about to comply, but thankfully the door opened. "Come on in!"

Raven felt herself blush immediately as the blonde opened the door. Even though she acted like calling him cute was no big deal, the fact that Kori and Jinx _knew _about it made her feel suddenly awkward around him.

Garfield also blushed as he set his sights on the dark-haired girl. She looked less-than-thrilled to be here, but he gave her a bright smiled anyway as he moved out of the doorway to let the girls come in. "Kitchen's over-"

"I know where it is," Raven interjected as she shoved the laptop at him. "Can you put this on the desk over there?" she asked, or rather, demanded.

The blonde rolled his eyes fondly as he obeyed. "Sure thing, sweetheart," he teased.

The pale girl froze in place as she regarded his words. He was obviously joking, but Jinx wouldn't let her live this down. She took a quick peek at the pink-haired girl, who was thankfully distracted by the view from Richard's living room.

"I can see all of Gotham!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

Kori stood beside her with her mouth agape. "In my country, our tallest building was only eight stories!"

Richard walked up behind her, his face flushed as his eyes darted between his view and the redhead. "Where is it that you're from, again?"

Raven attempted to hear her roommate's answer, since she had been curious as well, but as luck would have it, Garfield decided to start talking.

"So Dick said you and him used to hang out up here all the time," he mused casually as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Why were you guys talking about me?" she asked incredulously, giving him a strange look.

Garfield blanched as he stood there behind the island counter, his mouth opening and closing comically.

Raven took pity on him and gave him her signature smirk. "I'm kidding- I don't care," she deadpanned.

He let out a strange sound that was a mixture of a sigh and a snort. "Yeah, hah, I was gonna say that we, uh, you know, weren't talking _about you_ about you, just... yeah," he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and playing with a jar of frosting in the other.

"Whatever," the dark-haired girl mused, before looking around the counter skeptically. The guys had baked about three dozen cupcakes in a variety of chocolate and vanilla flavors. All of them were already cooled down as they sat on an assortment of paper plates- Richard never kept dishes.

"We, uh, we got just plain vanilla frosting and then some red food coloring, since we're the 'red team' and all," Garfield explained nervously. Before the girls had arrived, Richard had been pestering him about the pale girl, and he wasn't sure what to say. She was obviously indifferent towards him, and even if he _did _like her- though he wasn't admitting to it- she'd never like him back. She had made it perfectly clear that she found him annoying beyond belief.

"Red-frosted cupcakes for an animal charity doesn't seem a bit morbid to you?" Raven asked as she arched her brows quizzically.

Garfield's eyes widened as he picked up on what she was referring to. "Uh, no offense Rae, but I doubt anyone would look at it that way," he replied sheepishly.

The pale girl let out a huff of irritation. "It's Raven, Garfield."

He rolled his eyes in amusement, before scooping the frosting into the bowl. "How about we do a really light red? So people won't think we used the blood of the animals we slaughtered," he teased.

Raven snorted in amusement. "Wouldn't it just be pink?" she pointed out as she began scooping frosting into her own bowl.

"What's wrong with pink?" Jinx laughed as she inconspicuously left Kori and Richard alone to admire the view.

"Nothing," Raven smirked as she handed her bowl to the pink-haired girl, who took over the mixing beside Garfield. "It's just not red," she elaborated as she looked through the drawers to find ziplock bags. She let out a small giggle when she found them in the same place Richard had them all those years ago. _Some people never change, _she thought fondly, before scooping Garfield's pinkish colored frosting into the bag. She pushed it all into one corner, before taking a pair of scissors and snipping off the tip.

Garfield watched in awe as she expertly frosted the cupcakes. "Damn, why weren't you up here helping us? You're a pro!"

A small smile played at the pale girl's lips as she shook her head slightly. "I can't bake to safe my life," she confessed.

"You sure know how to frost, though," Jinx mused.

"My mom can bake really well- she actually works in that little bakery in Jump next to-"

"Next to the mall?" the pink-haired girl finished.

"Yep," Raven replied as she finished frosting one whole plate of cupcakes.

"Oh my god! I know your mom!" Jinx exclaimed as she threw her hands up in excitement, sending a spoonful of frosting onto Garfield's cheek.

"Hey!" he cried defiantly, wiping it off with his finger and sticking it in his mouth.

The girls ignored him as Raven gave her roommate a surprised look. "You do?"

Jinx nodded animatedly. "Yeah- I deliver for them! Arella, right?"

"Yeah," the pale girl replied, somewhat surprised. Sure, Jump City wasn't the biggest city- not even close- but she hadn't expected anyone to know her or her mother.

"I knew there was a reason why you looked familiar!" the pink-haired girl continued. "You guys look a lot alike."

Raven blushed slightly at that- her mother had always been considered a very beautiful woman, so it was no doubt a compliment. "I guess so," she replied shyly.

Garfield stared at Raven, blushing along with her, though his flushed face was due to thinking how adorable she looked while blushing. "So your mom works at a bakery?" he asked timidly- she hadn't talked about her family at all, so he figure it was a sore subject. He could relate.

"Mmm hmm," she hummed in reply as she began frosting another batch.

"That's so cool!" he grinned. "What does your dad do?"

He felt himself flinch as he noticed her hand shake ever so slightly, causing the frosting to squirt onto the counter. Suddenly he felt like he had crossed some invisible line, and he desperately wanted to take back his question.

"Whoa there, Rae! We're frosting the cupcakes, not the counter!" he teased, dropping their earlier topic.

She looked up at him gratefully for changing the subject, giving him the tiniest smile before rolling her eyes.

* * *

Another chapter! Whoohoo!

And more shoddy details? Yay!

Review?


	25. Deals

The Teen Titans are owned by somebody who isn't me.

* * *

"Who wants sprinkles?!"

Garfield and Raven rolled their eyes simultaneously as Victor burst in through the door with a bag full of sprinkles, small candies, and chocolates.

"What are these 'sprinkles', Victor?" Kori asked expectantly as she hopped away from the window and peeked into the bag.

The larger teen gave her a devious smile. "Oh, they're just... _colorful sugar crystals!_" he laughed, knowing something so seemingly trivial would excite the redhead.

Her face lit up immediately as she pulled out a small container full of an assortment of colored sugar. "These are exceptionally glorious!"

Victor laughed at her awe-struck expression as he sauntered into the kitchen and set the bag in between Garfield and Jinx. His eyes widened as he looked at the frosted cupcakes. "Whoa, these look great!"

"Rae's a pro!" Garfield explained, pointing across the counter to the pale girl frosting another batch. "It's in her blood."

Raven rolled her eyes, ignoring the nickname and the compliment. "Well, Garfield was unsuccessful in making red frosting, so pink will have to do," she mused, before glancing at the red-candy decorations Victor had just purchased. "Too bad Valentine's Day was two months ago," she smirked.

"Way to go, guys," Jinx laughed as she, too, realized their CAAC cupcakes would be decorated in the traditional red and pink colors of the day of love. "Garfield, will you be my Valentine?" she teased, batting her eyelashes playfully.

The blonde mimicked her expression. "Why, Jinxie-poo, what would Wally say?"

The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes as she pulled out her cellphone. "I don't know, let's ask him!"

Garfield let out a nervous chuckle as she began dialing her boyfriend's number and putting it on speaker. "Isn't he in school?" he asked skeptically as the phone began ringing.

_"Hello?"_

"Looks like that doesn't stop him!" Jinx laughed. "Hey, Wally! Gar wants to ask you for your permission for something."

_"What?"_

Jinx elbowed the blonde playfully as he stared at the phone. "Ow! What- oh yeah, haha, hey Wally!" he laughed.

_"...Hi?"_

"I was just wondering if you'd mind if me and Jinx eloped."

The pink-haired girl suppressed a giggle as they waited with bated breath for her boyfriend to respond.

_"Uh, go for it?"_

"Wallace!" Jinx screeched at the phone in mock-offense. "How dare you give your blessing to let me marry _Garfield Logan?!_"

"Shouldn't you be in school, young man?" Garfield lectured playfully.

Jinx's boyfriend let out a nervous chuckle on his end. _"Jinx, babe- you know I'd never let that happen,"_ he cooed, causing his girlfriend to roll her eyes affectionately. _"And seniors got out early today 'cuz of that assembly for next year's freshman."_

"Awe, lucky!" Garfield whined.

_"Oh, shut it, Logan! You're in Gotham right now!"_ Wally bit back.

The blonde let out a teasing laugh. "Hah, I am, huh?"

"If you weren't so in love with track, you could have been here too," Jinx pointed out, her voice wavering in irritation.

_"Come on, babe! You know track is my one-way ticket into a good university! I don't want to lose my scholarship to JCU!"_

Raven was only half-listening before, but at the mention of her choice college, she looked up.

Garfield noticed her sudden interest in the conversation, and gave her a small smile. "Did you apply at Jump?" he asked quietly as Jinx and Wally continued talking.

"Accepted there, actually," Raven responded with a shrug.

Garfield tried to suppress his smile at the thought that he, too, was accepted into JCU and would be starting in the fall. "R-really?" he replied, feigning nonchalance.

The pale girl nodded timidly. "Yeah, but I'm only going there for two years to get my pre-reqs, then I'm probably transferring upstate, though I'm not sure where yet- or if I could even afford it."

The blonde could no longer contain his smile. "So you're going to Jump this fall?"

"That's the plan," she replied as she returned her focus to the cupcakes. She knew with her grades that she could get into a simple university like Jump City, but she had her heart set on somewhere bigger and better, which was one of the reasons she went on this trip.

"Looks like you'll be there with me, Jinx, and her boyfriend Wally!" he grinned, no longer able to control his excitement. He was scared at the beginning of the trip that after they returned to Jump, he'd never see her again. But the prospect that they'd be attending the same school for two years delighted him beyond belief.

Raven gave him a skeptical glance. On on hand, having friends in college would probably be nice, but at the same time, she wanted to focus on her grades and getting transferred somewhere better- hopefully an Ivy League school. "Well, I'm glad I'll have people I know," she replied with a small smile.

Garfield nodded animatedly. "This is gonna be sweet! I thought college was gonna suck without Vic, but now it's not so bad!"

Raven felt herself blush at the fact that her attending JCU as well made Garfield's college expectations brighten. "Where are you going, Victor?" she asked awkwardly, not wanting to dwell on what the blonde had meant.

The large teen gave her a warm smile as he pulled his attention away from Kori and Richard, who were obviously enjoying themselves as they decorated a plate of cupcakes. "The plan was a football scholarship into JCU, but, well... you know," he laughed, gesturing to his leg. "But it was a blessing in disguise- now I can afford to go to medical school here in Gotham!"

"Yeah, and ditch his best friend!" Garfield whined playfully.

"Psh, you'll have all these guys!" he laughed, motioning towards Raven, Jinx, and Jinx's phone.

The blonde's eyes lingered on Raven, before darting back to Victor. "I guess Rae's gonna be my new video-game buddy, then! You're being replaced!"

The pale girl gave him a fierce glare. "I am not _anyone's _video-game buddy," she deadpanned.

Garfield winked at her cheekily, causing her to blush slightly. "Oh, you will be," he smirked.

"Yeah, Rae! Better watch out, he's already made you his fake-girlfriend- video game buddy is the next step!" Victor teased, his grin showing his obvious enjoyment at their blushing faces.

Raven attempted to brush off her embarrassment with a snarky remark. "Yeah, right- video-games are pointless."

Garfield gasped in semi-serious offense. "You take that back!"

Raven rolled her eyes as she finally began frosting the last plate of cupcakes. She kept forgetting that pretty much everyone on the trip thought that she was actually dating the blonde. She absentmindedly wondered if they would make a big show of "breaking up" on the last day, as not to make college confusing to other students who may attend with them. She paused for a moment, realizing she had already started planning how to avoid embarrassment in college with Garfield at her side. Was he really already her friend?

Garfield had a similar train of thought as he pondered over Victor's teasing words. What was the next step after video-game buddy? If it went from fake-girlfriend, did that mean it was possible that she could evolve into his _real _girlfriend? He was definitely not appalled by the thought- she was total girlfriend-material. But would she really ever like him like that? She seemed like this super-independent kind of girl, and he knew that winning her heart would be a challenge. And though the thought of the prize being _her_ was great,he wasn't sure if he was emotionally up to it- she already had the power to make or break his day. Could he really trust her with his heart?

He snorted in amusement at his own sappy thinking- he shouldn't be imagining what it'd be like to hold her hand or smell her hair; he should be imagining what she'd look like in a bikini or how good of a kisser she was.

As he traveled deeper into the abyss that was his teenaged mind, he felt himself blush. Sure, he had no problem thinking about that kind of stuff, but the fact that she was standing across from him and tentatively licking the frosting off her finger was a little too much for him.

"Books are pointless!" he blurted randomly, picking their prior conversation back up.

Raven gave him a bewildered look, her finger still in her mouth. "Excuse me?" she replied slowly, setting her hands on the counter and leaning towards him threateningly.

Garfield gulped in nervousness. "Uhm, i-if video-games are pointless, than so are books."

The dark-haired girl's eyes narrowed as she mulled over his opinion. "I thought you said you loved reading?" she pointed out dryly.

The blonde cursed himself for his awkward rambling from when they first met. "Y-yeah, but it's pointless," he shrugged.

"Maybe the books _you _read," she bit back.

Garfield let out a sheepish laugh- to stop himself from thinking about her in a non-friendly way, he initiated a fight. _Genius! _he thought in bitter amusement. "How about we make a deal," he began with a smirk.

Raven's face paled immediately as she remembered the deal with Richard involving the blonde boy. "W-what?" she asked skeptically.

"I'll read one of your 'oh-so-interesting' books, _if _you play a round of Mega-Monkeys with me!"

The pale girl arched her brows. "I have no idea what that is," she admitted.

Garfield rolled his eyes fondly. "It's a video-game, Rae," he laughed.

Raven crossed her arms over her chest. "Why would I want to do that?"

The blonde sighed in exasperation. "If I like the book and you like video-games, then we'll be even. But if I hate the book and you love video-games, you'll owe me something, or vice-versa," he reasoned.

She continued to look unconvinced. "What would I want from you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Peace and quiet," he answered immediately. "Or, you know, the chance to _actually _go on a date with a stud like me," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

Raven ignored her blush as she considered his offer. "Peace and quiet does sound nice," she mused.

"Then it's settled! You can give me your book after dinner tonight, and I'll probably finish it by Friday, so Friday night we'll play Mega-Monkeys!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Raven nodded in agreement, before a frightening thought crossed her mind. "Wait, what do you want from me if _you _win?"

Garfield's first thought was rather forward, so he quickly said the second thing to come to his mind. "I'll probably make you play video-games again," he laughed.

* * *

This was a rather long chapter for this story! Lol

I think the chapters may be getting longer from here on out- is that okay?

Anywhoo, leave a review! And if you have any questions so far (that don't involve spoilers), I'll be happy to answer them!


	26. Pride

Feel free to give me the Teen Titans- I'd love to own them.

* * *

"Cupcakes! Come get some cupcakes!"

"Yes! Come purchase the baked goods!"

Raven watched in amusement as Jinx and Kori sat outside of the entrance of the Wayne Hotel. Victor had quickly assembled a small booth for them and Garfield had successfully drawn a large sign displaying the name of the charity.

Her telling him it looked good was apparently a bad idea, since he kept smiling and pestering her for more compliments.

"I think you're a good artist, Garfield- can we please leave it at that?" the pale girl sighed as he stood beside her down the street where she was handing out fliers.

He quickly took one from her and read it out loud. "'Everybody Deserves a Good Life - Please Donate to _Citizens Against Animal Cruelty_: A None-Profit Organization Striving for the Welfare of Animals in our Nation.' Wow, this is so formal and educational and boring," he mused.

Raven rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It's fundamental that even people who don't want a sugar-high donate as well. We're in the heart of Gotham, surrounded by business men and women- formal and educational is a must."

"Please, Rae; even boring old business-y people like having fun!" he laughed, earning a few glares from business-y looking bystanders.

"Keep your voice down," she hissed, snatching the flier back and handing it to a person walking by. "The website is listed at the bottom," she informed them with a forced smile.

Garfield huffed in amusement. "Come on, Rae! You can do better than that," he teased, taking half of her fliers and handing them out as well. "Think of the kittens!" he grinned as he gave it to a mother pushing a stroller.

Raven snorted at his enthusiasm. "I don't want to guilt people into donating," she deadpanned.

The blonde rolled his eyes before linking his arm with hers. "Then just stand here and look pretty- I'll do all the work!"

The dark-haired girl blushed at his suggestion as he pulled her further down the street, switching between smiling and sadness as he handed out more fliers.

"The website is at the bottom- make sure you check the 'what brought you here' box saying '_Logania' _when you donate!" he grinned as he handed an elderly woman a flier. She nodded in response, obviously having no idea what he had meant.

Raven sighed as she continued to "look pretty" and follow him. She glanced behind them for a second, and realized with a start that she could no longer see the hotel. "Shit- Garfield, we've gone too far."

He followed her gaze, before brushing off her worry. "Psh, we're fine! I've only been turning left, so if we don't come full circle soon, we'll just turn around and keep to the right!"

"No, we took a right a while ago," she corrected.

Garfield paused for a moment, his brows furrowed in thought. "No we didn't."

Raven groaned in annoyance. "Yes, we _did. _I specifically remember crossing the street and turning right when you wanted to give a flier to that dog-walker."

The blonde scratched his head absentmindedly. "Huh- well, then we'll take one left and the rest will be rights!" he grinned, satisfied with his problem solving.

The pale girl shook her head in frustration. "I doubt that'll help- we haven't been turning every two blocks or anything, so we could be walking in circles for hours by that logic. I say we just ask for dir-"

"No!" Garfield scoffed, feigning offense. "I am a _man, _Raven- and men don't ask for directions!"

Raven finally decided to tug her arm out of his hold as she glared at him. "You're an _idiot, _Garfield," she deadpanned. "And I can be the one who asks."

The blonde shook his head animatedly. "No, Rae! Do you know what people will think? That I'm too incompetent to lead my girlfriend to where we need to be!"

"I'm not even your girlfriend," she snapped, cursing herself for blushing.

"But everyone thinks you are! And I can't let people think I'm a failure as a boyfriend!"

Raven tried to control her urge to push her teammate into traffic. "Nobody over here thinks that," she replied evenly.

Garfield still looked unconvinced. "No, Rae! You can do that to my man-pride!"

The pale girl snorted in amusement as she walked towards a small restaurant at the base of a large apartment building. "I can, and I will. Watch me," she smirked.

"No! I promise I can find our way back!" he begged, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. He honestly didn't care if she asked for directions, but he liked spending time with her and wanted to stay "lost" a little longer.

"Let go of me, Garfield," she growled as she tried pulling her arm out of his grip.

He wasn't holding it tightly, so she was able to release herself easily, but he reacted quickly and gripped her wrist gently, but tight enough for her to not get away.

"How about we finish passing out the fliers, and then ask?"

She rolled her eyes as she attempted to pry her wrist from his hold and snatched the fliers away from him with her other hand. "We can pass them out on our way back."

"But-"

"Let go of me Garfield, or I'll scream," she threatened with a glare.

He was about to give up, until a group of familiar faces turned the corner. Recognizing Adonis and his little gang immediately, Garfield's grip tightened. "Shit, Rae we need to-"

"I'm serious, I'll scream," she continued, not noticing the potential danger they were in. Six to two odds were not good.

"No, Rae-"

"Fine, you asked for it," she seethed, taking a deep breath.

Garfield glanced between his teammate and the approaching Hive students, who had neglected to notice them yet. He looked back at Raven, his eyes widening in horror as she began to open her mouth.

He did the only logical thing he could think of. He quickly let go of her wrist and put his hand around her waist. He then pulled her closer, watching as her brows furrowed in confusion before he directed his sights to her parted lips.

Her confusion soon turned to fury as he clamped his other hand over her mouth and pushed her into an alley between two buildings.

"Mmm dm mll?!" she yelled into his hand, though it came out very muffled.

Garfield quickly pulled her down with him behind a dumpster. "Adonis and his band of thugs are like ten feet away from us and I'm flattered that you think I can protect you, but I'm not liking the odds," he whispered with a smirk.

Raven's eyes lit up in realization. "_Mmm._"

The blonde grinned at her, though he continued keeping his hand over her mouth. Her eyes narrowed, and he quickly realized what he was doing and released her. "Sorry!"

She rolled her eyes in slight annoyance before peeking around the dumpster. Garfield wasn't lying- Adonis and his teammates were standing outside of the restaurant they were in front of moments ago. The group seemed to have decided against eating there as they continued down the street, oblivious to the two teens hiding in the alley.

"They're gone," she mused, standing up straight.

Garfield did the same as he followed her back onto the sidewalk. "That was close!"

She nodded in agreement. "What were they even doing all the way over here?"

The blonde shrugged indifferently. "Maybe their teacher isn't as strict as Ms. Mae," he guessed.

Hearing his reasoning, the pale girl gasped. "Oh my god, Ms. Mae specifically stated not to wander off from the hotel, and here we are- completely lost!"

Garfield chuckled slightly at her panic. "It's cool, Rae; we'll get directions and head back- she won't even notice we were gone."

Raven arched a brow skeptically. "You're cool with asking for directions? What happened to your man-pride?"_  
_

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, giving her a small smile. "Well, it kinda ran off when I hid in the alley like a total wuss, sooo..." he laughed.

His teammate returned his smile with one of her own. "It takes a real man to know which battles to fight- Adonis and his buddies would have had no problem beating you senseless," she assured, patting him on the shoulder awkwardly.

Garfield grinned at her praise as he took the fliers from her other hand. "Thanks, Rae."

She rolled her eyes in exasperation and turned to walk into the restaurant, before the blonde gasped in realization.

"What?" she exclaimed, turning back around.

The teen quickly pulled his cellphone out of his pocket, a sheepish smile on his face. "I forgot I have GPS!" he laughed.

Raven narrowed her eyes as she promptly smacked him on the shoulder. "You're an idiot."

* * *

_Another_ chapter!

Awe, look at the happy couple! Aren't they so cute with their banter and pushing and pulling and total disregard for feelings or personal space? Lol

Leave a review if you'd like! I know I sure would like it if you did! ;D


	27. Forgetting

Guess what? I don't own the Teen Titans!

* * *

Raven kept fidgeting nervously in her seat at dinner. Since her and Garfield had gotten lost, they arrived back at the hotel a little late and rushed to the table. Their group seemingly forgot about them and didn't save them a seat, so they were stuck at the end of the table next to the Blue team, though Raven wasn't complaining.

"...and I'm getting a full ride, since I've broken so many records. My coach guaranteed that I'll be going to the Olympics in a few years."

The dark-haired girl nodded dreamily as Garth went on and on about swimming. She wouldn't have pictured him as a swimmer, but he had the body for it- not that she was checking him out or anything. But man, _did _he have the body.

"So how long have you and Gar been together?"

"Who?" she asked absentmindedly.

Garth gave her a strange look, before repeating his question. "You and Garfield..?"

Raven felt herself blush furiously as she glanced at the blonde next to her, who was busy discussing some kind of sport with the Blue team's vice president.

"Uhm..." she started awkwardly, cursing herself for going along with Garfield's idiotic idea to keep Adonis at bay. Why couldn't she be the fake girlfriend of someone like, oh, Garth, for example? "Not long..."

Garth nodded politely. "Oh. That's nice- I was going to say that he never mentioned you, but I never really asked. I just assumed you guys had just met."

"We did," Raven replied, before cringing at her own answer.

Garth's dark eyes widened comically at her response. "Oh! Well I guess when you know, you know," he laughed.

She laughed along sheepishly as she thought of a better answer. "Well, I mean, it _feels _like we just met, but we've, uh..."

"We've what? Who's we?" Garfield asked with a smile. He had attempted to ignore the fact that his teammate was sitting across from his school's most eligible bachelor, but the sound of her laughter caught his attention immediately.

"Raven was just telling me about how long you've guys been dating, since you never really talked about her at school," Garth replied kindly.

The blonde felt his heart speed up as he glanced at the pale girl. "O-oh," he giggled nervously. "You know how us guys always forget anniversaries and crap like that."

Garth gave him a blank look. "Huh, I can't relate- I've never forgotten an anniversary."

Garfield rolled his eyes as Raven gazed at him dreamily. "Your girlfriend must love that," she sighed.

The handsome teen shrugged indifferently. "Not enough, apparently. We broke up about three months ago."

The dark-haired girl let out an uncharacteristic gasp at Garth's reveal. "I am so sorry!"

He waved away her apology. "Don't be; sometimes relationships just don't work out. We hadn't known each other long before we started dating," he explained, before his eyes widened. "But that doesn't mean it'll happen to you two!" he added hastily.

Raven and Garfield wore matching blushes as they awkwardly made eye contact.

"Y-yeah," they replied in unison.

"Raven, right?"

The dark-haired girl jumped slightly as the Blue team's vice president started talking to her. "Yeah?"

He gave her a cocky smile as he reached his hand across the table. "I'm Roy," he smirked as they shook hands. "Do you have a mirror with you by chance? I think something is in my teeth."

Raven shook her head.

Roy arched his brows quizzically. "Really? A pretty girl like you doesn't carry around a mirror?" he asked, smiling as she began to blush. "I don't believe it for a second," he teased.

"She's not really into her looks as much as you, Roy," Garfield laughed, though it was obviously forced. He was suddenly very grateful that the pale girl was home schooled.

The redhead snorted in amusement. "Well, she must be doing something right, 'cuz I can't keep my eyes off of her."

Raven suddenly felt very self-conscious. She knew Roy was only giving Garfield a hard time, since he sincerely believed they were dating. She had overheard the two talking, and they seemed to be friends. But still, the sudden male attention she was receiving on this trip overwhelmed her a bit. She was use to her one-sided crushing, though she still didn't like remembering it.

"Yeah, well, try to keep them to yourself," Garfield laughed, though Raven thought he sounded somewhat serious. She idly wondered if he ever considered acting. _He definitely has the looks for it-_

She shook her head suddenly, ridding herself of those thoughts. _Garfield is annoying- _not_ cute!_ she reminded herself.

* * *

"So where did you two run off to earlier?" Jinx grinned as the group made their way towards the elevators.

"Just passing out fliers," Garfield answered casually as he stuck his hands in his pockets. He was hoping nobody would make their disappearance a big deal, but then he remembered he was friends with the pink-haired girl and Victor.

"You guys sure did take a long time," his best friend added suggestively.

The blonde spared a quick glance at the pale girl, who was too busy discussing something with Richard to listen to his conversation. He held back a growl of annoyance as he explained the situation to his teammates. "We kinda got lost, but I had GPS on my phone so we found our way back- thanks for saving us a seat, by the way," he replied sarcastically.

The larger teen shrugged indifferently. "Y'all took too long."

Garfield rolled his eyes fondly, sneaking another glance at Raven. Her face was contorted into a look of confusion at whatever the black-haired teen was saying.

"But it's not _not _what you wanted it to be," Richard rambled as he scratched the back of his head. "And I couldn't get a direct, you know..."

Raven blinked slowly at her friend's explanation. He was attempting to talk in code or something about their deal, since Kori was walking beside them, blissfully ignorant. When he had discreetly (and confusingly) approached her about whether or not Kori liked him, Raven had answered with a simple _"Yes, go for it."_

But Richard apparently couldn't _do _simple as he tried to hold up his end of the deal. "What I mean, is it isn't what you wanted me to know you wanted."

She had no idea what he was talking about. A blunt "yes, he does" or "nope, you're good" would have sufficed, but of course he just had to make things complicated- even after claiming she was the one who did just that.

"Can you just tell me later? In _English?_" she deadpanned, giving up on trying to understand him. Kori's strange way of talking was easier to decipher than Richard's "answers."

He let out a defeated sigh as he nodded his head.

Raven smirked triumphantly, before her eyes wandered randomly to her blonde teammate. They fleetingly made eye contact, before he looked away quickly as they approached the elevator.

The group waited a few seconds for it to get to the lobby. With a ding and the hiss of the doors opening, they began to pile on in, but Richard gently pulled the redhead back.

"You guys go ahead; I, uhm, I need to ask Kori something, if that's okay?" he began, giving the pretty girl a nervous smile.

Raven suppressed a groan as her roommate nodded animatedly.

The doors began to close, separating the potential lovebirds from the rest of their team.

"What was that about?" Jinx blurted, her eyebrows arching quizzically.

"He's asking Kori out," Raven and Garfield responded in unison, before blushing fiercely.

The pink-haired girl snorted knowingly as she turned to Victor to strike up a conversation.

Garfield glanced at the pale girl, desperately wanting to talk to her, but having no clue what to say.

"So you still want that book?"

The blonde tilted his head in confusion at Raven's random question. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes at his horrible memory. "The deal, Garfield? You read my book, I play your dumb video-games?" she reminded.

His green eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, right!" he exclaimed.

Raven felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards in an unwanted smile as they reached their floor. She stepped off the elevator and towards her room, Garfield following close behind.

"Is it like a creepy horror book?" he asked warily, jogging slightly to catch up to her- she was a really fast walker. "'Cuz I like scary, don't get me wrong, but I'm scared easily. In a manly way, of course."

The pale girl could no longer fight her smile as she gave him a sideways glance. "Of course," she teased.

Garfield rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as they approached her door. "Heh, yeah... So should I wait here, or..?"

Raven gave him her signature blank look. "You really think I would let you in here after what happened last time?"

"What happened_ last_ time?"

The two teens jumped slightly as they turned to Jinx, who was standing next to them with a wicked grin on her face.

"Oh, don't just stare at me like that! Answer me!" she laughed, though they continued to gape at her. "Or I could start guessing..?" she taunted.

"I broke a lamp!" Garfield blurted, fearing the pink-haired girl's conspiracies. She was almost as bad as Victor.

"Y'all got a little rough with each other, eh?"

_Almost. _

"Gah! Vic! No!" Garfield exclaimed, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt.

Raven attempted to feign indifference to their teasing, but her matching blush gave her away. "Ha ha. No," she deadpanned.

Jinx and Victor snickered at their teammates' obvious embarrassment. "I'm kidding," the larger teen defended with a smirk. "Y'all need to lighten up!"

The blonde glanced at his dark-haired teammate, who looked anything but amused. "I'll get the book," she drawled, ignoring the others and swiping her key card.

He watched her walk into her room and towards her bed, a still-giggling Jinx following behind.

"What book?"

Garfield jumped at his best friend's question, momentarily forgetting he wasn't alone.

Victor raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Rae and I made a deal, and me reading a book is a part of it," he answered with a shrug.

He could tell the large teen wanted him to elaborate, but the girls' door opening back up interrupted.

"Here you go," Raven sighed as she handed the blonde a hardback novel. "Don't rip it or get anything on it. Especially tofu," she warned.

Garfield nodded sheepishly as he took the book from her, blushing slightly as their hands brushed. "I-I promise I won't-" he began.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation as she turned back around, shutting the door in his face.

"-ruin it," he finished lamely.

* * *

R-review?


	28. Deprived

Soooo I kinda _don't _own the Teen Titans, but I'm saving up to buy the rights!

* * *

Raven stared at her reflection in disgust as she observed the dark circles under her eyes. Kori had kept her up half the night, rambling on and on about Richard and their date on Saturday, and the lack of sleep it caused the pale girl was obvious.

Not that she wasn't happy for them- she _was. _She held up her end of the deal, and she was actually pretty pleased with the outcome. When they were younger, Richard could often times be as cynical as her, and Kori would be a good balance for him. And balance was good.

What _wasn't _good was that Kori loved girl-talk, while Raven loved her eight hours of sleep. And those two didn't seem to balance out as well.

Garfield was in a similar state of distress as he glared at his own reflection. His cold shower had neglected to make him feel awake, and his tired expression would almost certainly last all day.

He may have over-estimated his reading abilities, or under-estimated the length of Raven's book. It was Tuesday, and he had til Friday evening to finish the damn thing, and it was like a freaking encyclopedia- a _terrifying _encyclopedia.

That's right; Garfield Logan was scared of a _book. _His charmer of a teammate had neither confirmed, nor denied that her book would be scary, but he was in no way expecting _this. _It creeped him out so badly, even after he decided to turn in for the night, he couldn't fall asleep.

And now here he was, standing in his bathroom and giving the mirror a look of contempt. He hated how he looked when he was half-asleep; but more importantly, he hated how he _acted _while half-asleep. Sure, everything was funny and he would go through random spells of hyperness, but he also lost the ability to filter anything that came out of his mouth (not that he was very good at that awake, anyway).

But speaking before thinking often resulted with him putting his foot in his mouth, and speaking before thinking in front of _Raven _would surely cause other objects to get stuck in other places. Even though his pretty little teammate was a pacifist, she sure did have quite the temper on her.

He sighed in exasperation as he pulled on a clean, bright-white shirt. He was hoping it would make him look more awake, but even in his sleep-deprived mind he realized that was a weird thing to expect.

Raven had a similar struggle as she attempted to brighten up her own look. White eyeliner on the waterline was apparently a sure way to look more awake, but so far it just made her look kind of strange. She grumbled to herself as she wiped it off with a wet tissue, resulting in the skin around her eyes turning red from irritation. With a sigh, she accepted the fact that today would not be a pretty day for her.

Jinx and Kori had already left for the lobby/breakfast/conference room, since Kori's excitement kept her cheery and Jinx could apparently sleep through anything- even the redhead's squeals of said excitement. So that left the dark-haired girl alone in their room as she pulled on a pair of black leggings and a dark-grey hoodie in the hopes to fade into the background today.

With another sigh, she stepped into her slippers and out of her room, only to be greeted by the sight of her blonde teammate doing the same.

_Of course, _she thought bitterly as he stumbled out of his own room while tugging on his shoe. When he saw her, he gave her his trademark toothy grin.

"Morning Rae!"

"No," she seethed, not at all prepared to handle his happy-go-lucky attitude today. "It is Ra_ven._"

He blinked slowly in response, as if his brain was processing what she had said at the pace of a snail.

A good ten seconds later, his smile returned. "Morning Raven!"

She huffed in irritation as she made her way towards the elevator.

Garfield followed behind her, begging himself not to say anything stupid today. From what he could tell, it looked like his pale teammate hadn't gotten much sleep either, though instead of looking like the living dead like him, she looked absolutely adorable. Grumpy really suited her.

He cursed himself for thinking that, since thinking that meant he was actively thinking about her, and not thinking about what not to say, which meant he could say his thoughts out loud without thinking about it.

And Raven didn't look like the type of girl to appreciate the word "adorable."

"You look tired."

He closed his eyes in frustration as she gave him a look of hatred while slamming her hand onto the elevator's down button.

"I _am _tired," she growled, though he could tell she wasn't _trying _to be mean to him.

He nodded tentatively. "You don't look bad though," he blurted.

Raven was too exhausted to feel flustered by his comment, so she only managed to grumble a quiet "Thanks."

Garfield smiled at the fact that he hadn't been maimed after his accidental compliment. "Yeah, haha. No problem- you actually look pretty- uh pr-pretty, uhm, pretty-" he began in a panic as his mind went blank.

The dark-haired girl realized she wasn't too tired to blush as she turned away from the blonde and stepped onto the elevator as it dinged open.

He hesitated getting on, but knew he needed to scramble to finish his sentence, so he reluctantly followed her. "Pr-pretty tired!" he exclaimed.

A prolonged moment of silence hung in the air as the elevator began descending.

"We've established that."

The blonde let out a sigh of relief at the monotone reply of his teammate. With a quick peek at her blushing face, he vowed not to talk to her again until he got some coffee in his system.

"But you don't look bad."

He literally face-palmed himself for lasting a whole five-seconds before blurting out something stupid.

Raven felt a small smile playing at her lips. "Thanks," she repeated. It suddenly became very clear that her teammate was also functioning on a limited amount of sleep, though she couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

They made eye contact and quickly exchanged small smiles, before the elevator came to a stop. They glanced up at the same time, a shared look of confusion on their faces as the doors opened on the 16th floor.

Garfield immediately recognized the Hive student as he slumped onto the elevator, his hands in his pockets and his eyes avoiding them. He was the quiet member of the group, and Garfield couldn't remember his name. All he did remember was he was the Secretary of Defense, like Raven, and he also shared her same pale skin tone and shy demeanor.

"Hello."

Raven gave her teammate a surprised look as he attempted to converse with the Hive student.

The kid only nodded quickly in reply, keeping his eyes glued to the tiles on the floor.

Another awkward silence passed as the three descended slowly down to the lobby.

Garfield continued giving the teen a strange look, before he realized with a start that this kid was friends with Adonis, and he could report to him that Raven and Garfield weren't acting all couple-y. Even though he knew it was a bad idea, he discreetly intertwined his fingers with the pale girl's.

He watched her stiffen from the corner of his eye, and he prayed that she wouldn't kill him.

She reluctantly laced her fingers with his, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The elevator finally came to a stop, and the doors hissed open. The Hive student spared the two a quick glance, no doubt seeing their joined hands, before nodding again in farewell and heading the opposite direction of the lobby.

The pair stepped off the elevator together, their fingers still intertwined until they reached the cafeteria doors, where they quickly dropped their hold and walked in, avoiding eye contact.

* * *

Is it weird how much I love Kyd Wykkyd? He's just so freaking adorable, I swear. Idk why, but I just love him!

Anywhoo, I felt that our lovebirds both being sleep deprived would give me a good opportunity to let Garfield call her pretty, even if it was on accident. And Raven is too tired to over-analyze it, which is probably a good thing. Maybe it was a cop-out, but whateves. Flustered characters are like my favorite things ever. And Kyd Wykkyd. I freaking love Kyd Wykkyd.

Anywayyysss review? That'd be nice. Oh! And a big thank you for reviewing to all of you who have reviewed! :P


	29. Youths

Blah blah, the Teen Titans belong to blah blah, I don't own them, blah blah blah.

* * *

Raven was never late. _Never. _It wasn't in her blood to be late. "Raven" and "was late" were never in the same sentence, unless the sentence had the word "never" in it as well. Because she was _never late._

But Garfield was _always _late. And Garfield was an idiot.

Because of Garfield, _Raven _was late.

Well, technically it was Kori's blabbering that kept Raven up and caused her to sleep in and rush to get ready. But Garfield happened to be with her as they walked into the cafeteria at 8:45, and Ms. Mae punished them both. For being _late._

"Well, at least you're not having to do this on your own..."

The pale girl sighed in exasperation as she gave her blonde teammate a pleading look. She was tired, angry, and upset, and she really didn't want to add _irritated_ to the list.

Garfield was of course oblivious. He was tired as well, but was happy nonetheless that their punishment was only sorting through and correcting the homework Ms. Mae had brought with her from Jump.

"I wish I was in this class right now, 'cuz all the answers are right here!" he continued as he waved around the answer key. As luck would have it, Garfield had already taken that class (and passed, but with a B-).

Raven glared at him halfheartedly, too tired to properly deal with him. "Just shut up," she mumbled as she crossed out a series of wrong answers on the worksheet in front of her.

Garfield gave her a quizzical look. "You aren't even looking at the key, Rae," he pointed out timidly.

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I, too, have taken that class. And aced it," she deadpanned.

"But you should really look at it anyway to make sure, Rae," Garfield insisted as he scooted his chair closer to hers. "These are people's grades."

She turned her head and narrowed her eyes as he slide the answer key closer to her. "I could kill you right now, and no one would know."

It was true- Ms. Mae had banished them into a small conference room. So far, nobody had bothered them, and they found themselves completely alone, which was a bit peculiar. Their elderly teacher was very strict on the bedroom rule, but had no problem leaving a rumored-to-be-dating couple alone in a large, empty, windowless room.

Garfield's eyes widened slightly at Raven's warning, before he burst into laughter. Surprisingly, she joined in with a shy giggle of her own.

"Oh my god, you totally could!" he grinned, somehow finding the thought of the petite girl murdering him hilarious. Maybe it was their obvious height difference, or the lack of sleep, but the thought just kept getting funnier.

After awhile, Raven's small snickers turned into her trademark smirk as Garfield's laughs faded into a snort of amusement. He rose one eyebrow suspiciously as he gave her a quick once-over. "You're not going to though, right?"

The pale girl lightly smacked him on the shoulder as she turned her sights back to the ungraded papers. "Don't push your luck, Garfield."

He let out a huff of exasperation. "I don't know why you refuse to call me Gar," he whined, propping up his head with his hand as he leaned onto the table. "Everyone calls me Gar."

"I don't know why you insist on calling me _Rae,_" she bit back, mirroring his position. "My name is Ra_ven._"

The blonde grinned cheekily in response. "'Cuz it's a term of endearment- I bestow nicknames onto all of my friends!"

Raven rolled her eyes fondly, hoping that he didn't notice her blush. "You started calling me Rae _before_ I agreed to be your friend."

Garfield let out a curt laugh, before sitting up straight. "I need coffee," he announced abruptly.

His teammate agreed with a small nod. "Coffee is a must."

They both directed their eyes to the "breakfast" Ms. Mae had provided them with, which consisted of two bowls of oatmeal and two bottles of water.

"I need food, too," the blonde elaborated.

Raven suddenly sat up straight. "I have an idea," she smirked.

* * *

"So, how exactly do you know how to get in here?"

The pale girl shook her head in amusement as she and her teammate sneaked into the hotel's kitchen.

"I lived here before, remember?" she pointed out dryly, though a small smile tugged on her lips.

Garfield rolled his eyes as he let out a quiet chuckle. "Right, I forgot you and Dick use to live on the wild side," he replied sarcastically.

Raven shot him a playful glare as she opened up the kitchen's back entrance. "_Dick _doesn't seem like much of a term of endearment."

The blonde gave her a cheeky smile. "It's a term," he laughed.

She huffed in amusement, giving up on trying to understand how guys' minds worked, and quickly scoped out the kitchen to make sure it was empty. "Alright, the espresso machine is over there."

Garfield's eyes followed to where she was pointing, and he felt like singing. "Oh, praise the lord!" he laughed as he rushed towards it. "Where have you been all my life?"

Raven trailed after him less enthusiastically, but just as relieved. Tea was of course her beverage of choice, but coffee was a lifesaver.

The blonde quickly filled a cup, before handing it to the pale girl. "Bottom's up," he teased as he began filling another.

She was slightly taken aback by the fact that he had poured her a cup first. Sure, it was a small, seemingly insignificant gesture, but it brought a smile to her face. She quickly hid it from him as she brought the beverage to her lips.

"Thank you," she replied quietly after taking a small sip.

He smiled in reply before taking a swig of his own cup. "No, thank _you,_" he grinned. "I tend to humiliate myself when I'm half-asleep!"

Raven blushed at his confession as she remember what he had said on the elevator. "I've noticed," she blurted.

Garfield immediately knew what she was referring to as he felt himself blush. "Y-yeah," he stuttered, taking another gulp of his coffee. "I should drink up- prevent my sleep-deprivation from embarrassing me... again."

The pale girl gave him a reassuring smile. "At least you're not grumpy like me," she smirked, hoping to stifle the strange tension growing between them.

"Nah, it's cute," he replied, before his eyes widened as he took another big drink.

Raven was at a loss for words as she attempted to control her fiery red blush. "Uh-"

She was interrupted by the sound of the doors swinging open, and her and Garfield quickly shared a look of horror. Faster than she thought was possible, she pulled the blonde with her to the floor and under a small table against the island counter. She held her coffee tightly in one hand as her other gripped the collar of her teammate's shirt.

Garfield gave her a flustered look as he realized how close they were, crammed under the little table. They were sitting side-by-side, their knees pulled to their chests and their backs against the counter.

He could hear footsteps behind them, and prayed that nobody would decide to get a coffee.

"I hate youths," a man's voice suddenly announced, causing both of the teens to suck in a breath of surprise.

Another set of footsteps could be heard walking towards the other side of the kitchen, opposite of them. "They'll be gone next week, and we can go back to serving food to ungrateful billionaires," the other voice (also a man's) spat.

The first voice chuckled slightly. "Yeah, well that Grayson will still be here- he basically owns the damn hotel."

"Oh, he's the worst- a billionaire _and _a brat," voice number two groaned. "And did you see that Roth girl was back?"

Raven felt her heart stop at the mention of her, and Garfield gave her a sideways glance, knowing he was about to hear something he shouldn't.

"I can't believe they even let her in the hotel- especially after what her father did," voice number one mused.

Raven could feel tears prickling behind her eyes- she didn't want Garfield to find out about this- especially if it wasn't from her own mouth.

The blonde watched worriedly as his teammate closed her eyes and leaned her head back. He slowly lowered his coffee onto the ground beside him, before gently prying her hand off of his shirt.

"He's still in prison, isn't he?"

"Yep."

Raven tried to hold back a sob, expecting her teammate to push her hand away in disgust.

She opened her eyes in surprise as he instead laced his fingers with hers, though he kept his eyes focused on the espresso machine in front of them.

"And his little minion daughter has the nerve to show her face here."

Garfield never hated anybody as much as he hated those two men at that moment. Sure, he had no idea what happened, but he couldn't believe they could talk so badly about someone like Raven. He spared her a quick glance, feeling his heart break as she stared at her knees and bit her lip nervously. He instinctively squeezed her hand, causing her eyes to dart towards him questioningly.

He gave her a small smile as they listened to the doors swing back open and the footsteps and voices of the two men fade.

She returned the smile slowly. Words couldn't express how grateful she was for his kindness. They sat there several minutes longer, waiting to make sure that the coast was clear.

Both ignored the fact that they were holding hands for a second time that day.

* * *

I give you all an answer- and leave you with even more questions! Muahahahahaha!

So this got a little touchy-feely, eh? :D

But it was cute there at the end, right? Right? _Riiiiiight?!_

Leave a review, maybe?


	30. Sorry

I think it's obvious by now that I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

Garfield watched from the corner of his eye as Raven took small, tentative bites of a bagel they stole from the kitchen. He wanted to let her know that she could talk about it- if she wanted to. He wouldn't force her to, but he would listen.

He wanted her to feel comfortable with him knowing, even though she obviously didn't want him finding out. He wanted to let her know it was okay; that it didn't change how he saw her. She was still the smart, witty, independent girl he had met on the plane. She was still beautiful.

Well, maybe he didn't want her to know _that _part.

Raven could feel his eyes on her. She knew he was curious, but she was pleasantly surprised that he was respecting her privacy. She really hadn't planned on him finding out- least of all from somebody else. That was something she had hoped to keep locked away in the past. Richard knew, of course- his father owned the hotel, and it was happening at the hotel. It _happened _at the hotel.

She knew she would tell Garfield eventually- he seemed very adamant on being her friend. But five days into the friendship wasn't the time to divulge all of her deepest, darkest secrets. That was probably more of a two-week kind of talk.

"How's your bagel?"

Raven slowly turned her head to face him. They were back in the conference room, sitting side-by-side and munching on their stolen breakfast. He had opted for some cold french toast, while she was content with a blueberry bagel.

"It's good," she replied. What else was she supposed to say?

"That's good." Pause. "How are you?"

She smiled despite herself. "I'm okay."

He nodded his head casually. "That's good."

Another pause.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation and turned her body to face him. "Alright, what do you want to know?" she asked bluntly, holding back a smirk at his shocked face.

He recovered quickly, and a somewhat serious expression replaced it. "Nothing you don't want me to know."

"I don't care," she deadpanned. "Ask about anything."

"Yes you do. You do care."

She was quiet for a moment; he was right. She _did _care. She probably cared too much. She didn't want him to see her differently; to think of her as the daughter of someone like... _that. _

"My parents died when I was six."

He wasn't sure why he said that. He never talked about them. He literally _avoided _anything to do with them. But maybe it was so she'd know something personal about him. So they'd be even.

Raven opened and closed her mouth slowly. She wasn't sure what to say.

"Oh."

He smiled slightly at her reply, before continuing. "It was an accident, obviously- a boating accident. I was okay; I made it out. But they didn't. They drowned."

Another long pause. Those were becoming quite common between the two of them.

"I'm sorry."

Garfield knew she was going to say that- everyone would say that. It was the standard reply when someone said something tragic. He hated it. It wasn't anyone else's fault.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he shrugged, prodding at his breakfast with his fork. "It's not like you sunk the boat."

"I'm sorry that it happened to you."

He smiled bitterly. He was sorry, too.

Suddenly Raven slid off of her chair and crawled under the table. He watched in confusion, before she beckoned him under with her. He complied, sliding off his own chair and sitting beside her, their backs leaning against the cold, metal bar.

"My father use to work here," she began quietly. She hated that he made her feel obligated to tell him. She hated that she was telling him. And she hated that she _wanted _to tell him. "That's why I had lived here."

He didn't say anything, and she took that as an invitation to continue.

"They fought all the time; him and my mom. I don't think they liked each other. I don't know if they ever really did," she shrugged. "I think he only married her because of me. That was probably the most decent thing he ever did."

Raven _really _hated talking about this. Her and her mom avoided the subject like it was the plague.

She took a deep breath, before continuing. "He got the job here when I was about thirteen. Living here was the first time we could count on hot water and electricity every month. It was... _nice. _

"I met Richard, and we hit it off right away. Maybe because we were the same age, or because we didn't know how to make friends, and our awkwardness was something we had in common. I don't know. But anyway, he was my friend."

Garfield grinned at the small smile that appeared on her face. He suddenly felt like a total jerk for being annoyed by her friendship with the black-haired teen.

"Since we hung out all the time, I didn't really know about my father's 'side business'," she whispered, her smile fading. "Apparently the free housing and meals provided for working here, along with a nice paycheck, weren't enough."

She was quiet for about a minute, begging her tears not to fall. She hated crying- it was weak. And her father sure as hell didn't deserve her tears.

"It was kind of clever of him, actually," she laughed bitterly. "He worked security, and had several of those guys in on it with him, along with a few maids and valets; even a couple of cooks."

Garfield felt his blood boil as he remembered the two guys from the kitchen. How could they say such horrible things about her?

"I'm not sure where he got it from- some anonymous supplier, I guess. The police never could track him down."

Her teammate furrowed his brows. He suddenly remembered hearing about this drug scandal in a Gotham hotel two years ago- it was pretty hush-hush, but his foster dad was an ex-cop and got the scoop from some old work buddies.

"He'd use me, too," Raven sighed. She felt so completely stupid when she found out. "I obviously had no clue _what _I was delivering, but he'd have me take packages to random rooms."

She paused again, taking another deep breath.

"I-I was a fourteen-year-old drug mule," she choked out. "And I was too stupid to realize it."

Garfield didn't like that she called herself stupid. She wasn't stupid- she was the smartest girl he knew. He was about to tell her that, but she started talking again.

"One day, he found out this maid named April was stealing. I don't know if she was taking the drugs or the money, but whatever it was, he tracked her down to collect.

"He never touched her- he wasn't one to get physically violent. But he had some of his goons beat her pretty bad, and then leave her in an unoccupied room."

Raven could hardly keep the tears back any longer as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"She almost died..."

Garfield watched as a single tear escaped from her eye before she quickly blinked away the rest.

"Everybody liked April, and when her co-workers found out what he did, they turned him in. It was so scary when the police came- I was hanging out with Richard, and Bruce told us to stay in the penthouse. We were two teenagers, so we obviously didn't listen. We took the penthouse's private elevator down to the floor where all the commotion was coming from- we didn't even realize it was my floor."

She paused again, and Garfield used the opportunity to place his hand on her knee. She gave him a surprised look, but he only smiled reassuringly.

She smiled back, before continuing. "He went without a fight, which was surprising. I watched as they walked him out of our room handcuffed, my mother following them to the door with no expression. She leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed, as if she couldn't care less. At the time, I didn't know what was happening, or what had happened, so I started screaming at her.

"I knew about the drugs by then, and what he had made me do for a year, but I didn't know about April, so I just kept screaming at my mother. She gave me this look- I don't know how to explain it- it was like a mixture of pity and anger and heartbreak. She just looked at me, and Richard was holding me back when I started trying to hit her. I just wanted her to stop looking at me like that... but then she pulled me into a hug. I started crying all over her shirt, and Richard let go of me as I hugged her back.

"We moved out the next day. Bruce said we could stay, but we knew it'd be too hard, so we packed up and moved across the country. I never even said bye to Richard..."

Garfield suddenly felt like even more of a jerk as he thought about how rude he had been to the hotel heir. He had even commented on how Richard didn't even try to reach out to Raven, but now he knew why.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, cursing himself for using the phrase he hated so much.

She gave him her signature smirk . "You have no reason to be- you didn't sell any drugs."

"I'm sorry that it happened to you..."

Raven sighed, tentatively setting her hand on top of his on her knee. "I-I'm sorry, too."

* * *

So this story is labeled under "Romance" and "Humor", and this chapter was neither romantic nor humorous, so I'm thinking about changing the labels. What do you guys think would be more appropriate? Friendship? Angst? Horror?! Lol

So now we know about Raven! And why she acted so weird when she saw Richard and realized what hotel they'd be staying at! I hope this explanation wasn't a letdown, nor clichéd beyond comprehension, 'cuz even though I tend to get as clichéd as a greeting card, I do try to avoid it! Lol

Leave a review, maybe? Let me know what you guys think? Oh, and Garfield's pills and what they're for will be explained soon, but not til I bring in a little more lightheartedness after this big old ball of sad! Stay tuned! ;D


	31. Confessions

This morning I came to the sudden realization that I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

Raven knew this wasn't normal. She never talked about her feelings, or her past, or anything of the like. She hated getting personal, and here she was, doing just that.

Under a table.

With _Garfield. _

He was really understanding, which she admittedly expected from him, but being proved right was still a surprise. He had also made a few jokes, which was also expected. But most importantly, he made her feel better.

They had obviously moved on from the topic, though not in a way that felt forced. They just started talking.

She told him about some of her good memories from living here, which mostly involved Richard, and he nodded along, giving a slight chuckle when appropriate. She could tell the blonde wasn't too fond of her old friend, but she figured that had something to do with Kori.

A wave of panic washed over her for a moment when she idly wondered if Garfield also had feelings for the redhead. She was unbelievably gorgeous, after all. Following the panic was a wave of confusion; why did she care? Sure, her dear friend Richard was obviously smitten with the sweet girl, so maybe she was worried the two boys would fight over her, and then Raven would no doubt lose one of her friends.

Or maybe it was because Kori obviously only saw Garfield as a friend, and the pale girl pitied him?

Raven knew there was no way in hell that _she _was the one with feelings for the blonde- he was her _friend. _And you can't feel that way about friends- especially ones you've only known for several days- regardless of how cute they are.

Not that Garfield was cute.

"...and then Vic just spills the entire thing all over Bee!" Garfield laughed whole-heartedly, literally slapping his knee.

Raven let out a small chuckle as well; she was happy the focus was no longer on her.

The blonde continued with his mirth, wiping away a tear from his eye. "Oh god- it was seriously the funniest thing ever," he sighed, giving her a sideways glance.

"Public school sounds..." the pale girl began as she mulled over all of his earlier stories, "terrifying."

Garfield snorted in amusement. "Once you get past the gangs and supernatural creatures, it's alright," he teased.

She suddenly regretted sharing with him her misconceptions of high school.

"You promised you wouldn't make fun of me," she deadpanned, though he could see the glint of amusement in her eyes.

He grinned cheekily. "Oh, come on, Rae! You really thought high school was like one of those CW shows?"

"That's all I ever had as a basis," she defended, somewhat embarrassed that she had admitted to watching those shows.

"What, no books from this century to read?" he snickered, obviously enjoying her flustered appearance.

"Oh, shut up," she smirked, lightly smacking him on the shoulder. "Speaking of books," she began inquisitively, "how are you liking mine so far?"

Garfield's grin was slowly replaced by a nervous smile. "It's, uh... interesting," he replied.

Raven arched a brow curiously. "Care to elaborate?"

He let out a sheepish laugh as he tried to think of a way to describe it without insulting her. "Well, it's... terrifying."

The dark-haired girl let out a dramatic gasp. "_What?!_ Garfield Logan is scared... of a _book?_"

The blonde gaped at her comically. "N-no!" he stuttered. "I'm just... _appreciating _the plot by... reacting in the way the author expected me to react!"

There was a long pause as Raven tried to decipher his words.

"...What?"

He let out a flustered laugh at her confusion- heck, he was confused, too.

"Honestly, I stayed up like half the night reading the damn thing," he admitted sheepishly. "And, uh, the other half was spent cowering under my sheets."

His teammate smiled a genuine smile. "At least you didn't have to suffer through hours of girl-talk."

Garfield cringed dramatically. "Ooh, that's bad," he laughed.

The pale girl nodded. "You have _no _idea," she deadpanned.

"Actually, I've known Kori since sophomore year, so I've suffered through plenty of... talks," he confessed with a smirk.

Raven rolled her eyes fondly. "But I'm sure they weren't about 'Richard and the date!'" she groaned, mimicking the redhead.

The blonde shrugged in defeat. "You've got a point there."

The dark-haired girl smiled triumphantly.

There was another lull in the conversation as the two teens sat quietly under the table.

"I'm still exhausted," Raven admitted. _Physically _and _emotionally, _she added in her head.

Garfield nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that coffee's wearing off a bit for me, too."

The pale girl sighed tiredly. "Do you think Ms. Mae will notice if we sneak up back to our rooms?"

The blonde gave her a quizzical look. "Is... is Raven Roth suggesting we... _break the rules?_" he gasped, slapping a hand against his heart.

Rolling her eyes in amusement, she lightly smacked his shoulder. "Oh, shut up, Garfield."

He laughed quietly to himself. "I swear, that's like your catchphrase."

Raven let out a quiet laugh. "Whatever," she mused, before getting back on topic. "But seriously, how long were we expected to correct these papers?"

Garfield shrugged tiredly. "I guess until she decided to come get us."

"I say we finish them quickly, and then go upstairs and take a nap."

The blonde gave his teammate a surprised look. "But that's breaking the rules, Rae," he teased.

She shot him her signature glare. "I need sleep."

"How about you head on up to your room and take a nap, and I can stay down here and finish these up."

Raven's eyes widened at her teammate's offer. "Really?"

Garfield smiled politely. "Yeah, after everything today, you deserve a break," he replied, hoping bringing up their earlier conversation wasn't going to spoil her mood.

It apparently didn't as she gave him a small smile of her own. "Thank you, Garfield. That's really... sweet."

"No prob, Rae!" he beamed.

She was about to correct him on her name, but decided to let it slide for now. She slowly scooted out from under the table.

The blonde followed her, his grin unwavering.

As they stood, Raven gave him a curious look.

"What?" he asked self-consciously, looking down at his shirt for food stains.

"You're going to walk me to my room, right?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to give him the wrong impression, but really wanting him to do it. "I-in case Adoofus spots me all alone and makes a move, I mean," she added hurriedly.

Garfield's smile widened. "Sure! Don't want him stealing my girl!" he teased, linking his arm with hers.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, though she secretly enjoyed the attention. "Let's just go," she deadpanned.

The blonde complied excitedly, and they quietly crept out of the room and towards the elevators.

* * *

Garfield watched as Raven fumbled around with her room key card as they stood in front of her door.

"I swear, I'm about to drop dead any second," she muttered as she finally got it to work.

Her teammate gave her a quick side-hug before she went into her room. "Sweet dreams, Rae! Oh, and keep your phone next to you so I can call you if Ms. Mae shows up. I'm sure I'll be able to stall her long enough for you to get back."

Raven gave him a small smile as she fought back her blush. "Alright, but don't just call for the hell of it, 'cuz I'm seriously exhausted," she warned halfheartedly.

Garfield smiled brilliantly. "No promises!"

She rolled her eyes as she went into the room and shut her door. Sleep sounded absolutely amazing, though she couldn't help but feel a little bad that Garfield had to endure his sleep-deprivation. Especially since it was partially her fault for giving him the book.

She shook off her worry as she sauntered over to her bed. In a very un-Raven like manner, she plopped onto it, experiencing a somewhat euphoric feeling as she drifted into unconsciousness.

A rude knocking at her door quickly brought her out of her reverie.

"Garfield," she groaned, wondering what he had forgotten to tell her. She slowly lifted herself from her bed and slumped towards the door. "This better be impor-" she began, but stopped quickly when she saw who was at her door.

"You busy?" Adonis sneered.

* * *

Garfield felt a strangely exhilarating feeling pulsing through him as he stood silently in the elevator. He had hugged Raven! Sure, it was an awkward side-hug and he had attempted those on her several times now, but he could have sworn she sort of hugged back- or at least she would have if he didn't pull away so fast.

He grinned to himself as he shoved his hands in his pockets, before realizing he didn't have his phone on him.

_Damn it! I must have left it in my room! _he groaned to himself as the elevator doors hissed open. He quickly pressed his floor and sighed to himself as the elevator went back up.

* * *

"W-what do you want?" Raven asked nervously as the Hive student slowly pushed her door open wider.

"I just want to talk," he laughed, leaning against her doorway nonchalantly. "I saw your boyfriend bring you up here, but I'm guessing he didn't stay?"

The pale girl shook her head, becoming less nervous and more annoyed with the skinny guy's presence. "What do you want?" she repeated, crossing her arms defiantly.

"I told you, I just wanna talk," he mused, giving her an appreciative once-over. "I feel like we've gotten off on the wrong foot, and I'm hoping we can make things right."

Raven looked unconvinced as she eyed him warily. "I'm fine with where we stand," she deadpanned.

He gave an unamused chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "You're kinda feisty, you know that?"

She stared at him blankly.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine, whatever. I just wanted you to know that I'm not some creep you need protecting from. I just thought you were cute, and I like flirting with cute girls."

Instead of blushing at the word like she did when Garfield called her it, she narrowed her eyes. "Well, I have a boyfriend, and neither of us appreciate your 'flirting'."

She tried shutting the door, but he promptly pushed it back open. He was a lot stronger than he looked.

"Listen, you little b-" he began, but was unable to finish as he was slammed against the wall beside the door.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Garfield growled as he positioned his forearm against the Hive student's neck.

"Whoa, there, buddy! We were just talking-"

"She doesn't look like she wanted to, _buddy,_" the blonde seethed, applying more pressure.

"Garfield, stop," Raven demanded. She hated physical altercations.

"What did he do to you, Rae?" her teammate questioned, ignoring her demand.

"I didn't do any-"

"Shut it, you prick. I was talking to R-"

"Nothing, now let him go!" she interrupted angrily.

"Better listen to your girlfriend," Adonis sneered.

Garfield continued to pin the skinny teen against the wall.

Raven let out a sigh of frustration as she pulled the blond off of the Hive Student. "Seriously, Garfield! Stop this!"

Her teammate reluctantly released Adonis, and the pale girl quickly pulled him into her room and shut the door.

"What the hell was that?" she seethed, smacking the blonde on the shoulder.

Garfield gave her an apologetic look. "I didn't know what he was doing, and Jinx said-"

"I don't give a damn about what Jinx said," Raven interrupted. "All he was doing was being a nuisance, but that's no reason to go all alpha-male on him!"

"I just thought-"

"No, Garfield! I am perfectly capable of protecting myself- and news flash- I'm not really your girlfriend!"

"But that doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit around and watch that slime-ball creep all over you!" Garfield protested, waving his arms around dramatically.

The pale girl still looked livid. "Why do you even care so much?!" she screeched angrily.

"Because I like you!"

Both teens stopped their yelling and stared wide-eyed at each other.

A look of horror crossed over Raven's face, while the only thing crossing Garfield's mind was one word. _  
_

_Shit._

* * *

Ahh! Longer chapter and a cliffie!

Uh-oh, how's BB gonna talk himself out of this one?

Please don't hate me if I don't update for a while- I have to work for the next couple of days! Put away the pitchforks and torches!

Review?


	32. Questions

The Teen Titans _will _be owned by me. Someday. Maybe.

* * *

Garfield knew he could easily explain his confession away by saying "as a friend" or "because we're friends", but he couldn't find his voice. It was like his own body was refusing to help him, and every second that went by, he was digging himself deeper and deeper into embarrassment.

Or the friend-zone. He really hoped it wasn't the friend-zone.

But what bothered him the most was that he finally realized he _was _crushing on Raven. And now she knew.

"I'm glad you like me and consider me a friend, but I'm a friend that can take care of herself."

Or _not._

The blonde suddenly felt angry that she didn't understand- it was blatantly obvious how he felt! Maybe _she _was the idiot.

Raven waited patiently for him to respond. After the initial shock of his confession wore off, she realized he probably only meant he liked her in the platonic way- it wasn't the romantic, spontaneous declaration of love after a dire situation that'd end with her pushed up against the wall as he kissed her passionately.

She shuddered slightly at her own thoughts- she _really _needed to stop watching the CW.

"F-friends help each other out," he replied lamely.

The pale girl let out a weary sigh. "I appreciate that you were there to help me out, but I don't think you needed to get so... violent," she pointed out quietly.

Garfield felt his stomach churn as he realized how crazy he must have looked in front of her. He also realized he had neglected to take his meds, and his sleep-deprivation mixed with his irritation from missing his pill wasn't exactly a winning combination.

His stomach began churning more violently- nausea was another side effect.

Raven watched in confusion as her teammate rushed into her bathroom and emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. She quickly followed after him, feeling a strange sense of worry overcome her as she watched him.

"Are you okay?" she asked timidly.

She waited patiently as he rid himself of his stolen breakfast.

"Just peachy," he answered sarcastically, before another bought of nausea hit him.

Raven tentatively switched on the fan, hoping it would help alleviate the smell of vomit.

"Can I get you anything?"

Garfield leaned onto the toilet, his head hanging in shame. He knew he needed to get his meds in his system, but the trip across the hall seemed too far away, and he was beginning to feel light-headed.

"Can you do me a favor?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course," the dark-haired girl replied almost immediately.

He smiled despite having his head in the toilet. "Can you not ask any questions?"

She paused for a moment. "...Is that the favor?"

He gave a small, humorless chuckle. "It's a part of it, I guess."

Raven nodded slowly, before realizing he couldn't see her. "Alright," she agreed, though she knew her curiosity was going to spike.

"In the drawer next to my bed is some medication. Can you get it for me?"

She held her tongue and leaned down beside him as he pulled his key card out of his pocket.

"And my toothbrush," he added with a laugh.

She nodded her head again and made her way towards her door. Opening it slowly, she was relieved to see that Adonis had left. She quickly crossed the hall and unlocked his door.

She walked in slowly, rolling her eyes at the mess. She didn't even have to guess whose bed was whose as she glanced at the unmade bed of her blonde teammate. Opening the end table's drawer, she found a small, orange container.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, she quickly read the label.

_LOGAN_  
_GARFIELD M_  
_IRON GLYCEROPHOSPHATE_  
_TAKE ONE TABLET BY MOUTH_  
_EVERY DAY_

She arched an eyebrow quizzically, pondering over what could cause his need for iron. He was a vegetarian, whose diet consequently lacked in the vegetable department, so she figured he could have been iron-deficient.

She felt even more confused at how embarrassed he seemed to be by it. Maybe it was because the lifestyle he praised so often was causing him to be unhealthy?

Deciding to ponder over it later, she raced back to her own room.

Garfield was no longer in the toilet as he leaned back against the wall. His eyes were closed, and his forehead was covered in a thin coat of sweat.

She quickly filled a small paper cup with water from the sink, before approaching him slowly. "Garfield?"

The twitching of his lips were her only response as he reached out for his medication.

She handed it over before turning towards the toilet and flushing it. The foul smell made her realize something.

"I forgot your toothbrush."

Garfield quickly swallowed down his pill and gave her a small smile. "It's okay, Rae."

Again, she ignored the nickname as she sat on the side of the tub. So many questions were running through her mind, and she suddenly found herself regretting their earlier agreement.

As if reading her mind, the blonde teen let out a labored sigh. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

He peeked one eye open in time to see her nod in defeat.

He really, _really _didn't want to tell her. Besides his foster parents and a couple of teachers, only Victor knew about his condition, and he really wanted to keep it that way. But a voice in his head (incidentally the same voice that never seemed to shut up about his pale teammate) quietly reminded him that he had stumbled upon one of her secrets, so it was only fair he shared his.

But not today- he was drawing the line at dead-parents and drug-lords.

"Can I at least ask if you're okay?"

He turned his head to look at her, smiling to himself as she purposely avoided eye contact.

"I'm okay," he answered meekly. For the most part, he was. He had his meds in his system, and so long as he didn't throw up again, he'd be back to normal in a matter of hours. Usually the withdrawals didn't hit him so hard, but he figured the lack of sleep and physical exertion of putting that creep in his place took its toll.

And his appetite.

His brows furrowed as he realized it was probably close to lunch by now, and Ms. Mae would probably come fetch them soon. He was no longer worried about getting in trouble, since his sickly appearance would be excuse enough. Idly, he wondered if he was turning green- the mix of nausea and his condition often gave his usual summer glow a ghoul-like tinge.

He spared another glance at Raven, letting a small laugh escape his mouth as he realized that beside her, he'd still look bronzed.

She arched her brows quizzically. "What's so funny?"

His amusement turned to a small, shy smile as he shrugged. "Nothing- you're just really pale," he mused.

She defied his observation of her lack of color as her cheeks turned a faint red. "Shut up," she muttered, though a smile was playing at her lips as well.

He opened his mouth to say more, but a frantic knocking on Raven's door interrupted him.

"Ms. Roth!" the strangely angry voice of their teacher bellowed, obviously furious.

Raven sighed wearily as she stood from her perch on the tub and made her way towards the door.

Opening it slowly, she was greeted by the comical sight of an angry, elderly woman dressed in an elaborate, fifties-inspired outfit and red in the face.

"I presume Mr. Logan is in there with you," Ms. Mae seethed, putting on a smug _I-just-caught-you-red-handed_ face.

The pale girl motioned for her teacher to come in, which obviously caught her by surprise.

"I'm in here," Garfield called weakly from his position on the dark-haired girl's bathroom floor.

Ms. Mae hurried towards his voice, her anger turning to concern at the sight of her unwell student.

"Oh, dear!" she huffed, looking over the scene quizzically. "Your mother insisted that something like this wouldn't happen!"

Garfield gave her a guilty smile. "I'm usually really good about taking them..."

Raven stood quietly at the door as she watched Garfield pull himself onto his feet. She noticed his complexion was already turning back to normal, but he was still a little shaky on his feet.

"Ms. Roth, will you be a dear and help Mr. Logan back to his own room?" their teacher demanded sweetly, also noticing the blonde's difficulties at standing upright.

The pale girl nodded in agreement as she slipped into the bathroom and wrapped one arm around his waist. He stiffened at the contact, and she stifled a laugh at the reversal of their roles.

Garfield walked slowly towards his room as his elderly teacher held the door open for him. He tentatively wrapped his own arm around his teammate for "support", feeling his blush intensify as she adjusted her hold on him.

It was almost as thrilling as their earlier side-hug, only this time he wasn't going to throw up from nerves- he just felt like throwing up.

He hated his damn medication.

Raven also felt her own cheeks heat up as directed him towards his bed. She knew their teacher's eyes were glued to them, and she idly wondered if Ms. Mae had heard the rumors of their relationship.

That'd explain why the old woman assumed they were together in her room.

They finally made it to his bed, and Raven helped him lower himself onto it comfortably.

He smiled up at her, already feeling a hundred times better as she smiled back shyly.

"Thanks, Rae," he whispered, not really wanting Ms. Mae to hear him for some reason.

His teammate rolled her eyes fondly before making her way back towards the hall, again resisting her habit of correcting him.

* * *

I swapped my shift and didn't have to work today! Ah, the perks of retail :)

It was nice; I woke up at a decent hour, had coffee with a friend (can I get a whoohoo for having a social life for once? Lol) and then came back home and typed this up while watching Netflix!

What can I say, I'm a skilled multitasker ;)

So a little more information is given! Wow, this has been a really revealing day for these two, eh?

Love how you guys all called me out on the whole "as a friend" thing- am I really that predictable?

Yeah, yeah- I know am; but hey, longer story, right?

Leave a review, please! That'd be totes fab!


	33. Different

The Teen Titans are often times not owned by me. And by often, I mean always. They are always not owned by me.

* * *

"So I talked to Gar but he had like nothing to say and I was going to tell you what I had deduced from his nervousness but then I decided that since everything worked out so well with you helping me get a date with Kori that you deserved some actual in-tell so I talked to Vic and he said that he's absolutely certain that-"

"Stop!"

Richard's mouth hung open comically as he stared at Raven's flushed face.

"But I was-"

"No, Richard," she sighed, setting her head on the table in defeat. "I don't want to know."

The black-haired boy looked confused. "But you said-"

"And I've changed my mind." Raven sat back up, giving her friend a pointed look. "I don't want to know anymore, okay?"

Her teammate slumped slightly in his chair. "But I went through all the trouble to find out," he pouted.

The pale girl couldn't help but crack a smile at her friend's disgruntled expression. "And I'm sure your detective skills were eloquent, but if Garfield... _likes _me, I want him to let me know on his own accord. It wouldn't be fair any other way."

Richard nodded his head reluctantly at her explanation. "I guess that makes sense."

Raven gave him her signature smirk as she leaned across the table. "So," she whispered, sparing a glance at their red-haired teammate across the lobby, taking to the blue team with Jinx, "where are you taking her?"

The hotel heir had a faraway look in his eyes and a dopey smile on his face. "Well, first we'll go to-" but he stopped suddenly, giving his old friend an inquisitive look. "You're a double agent!" he exclaimed, pointing at her angrily.

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her seat. "How could you even think that," she deadpanned.

Richard crossed his arms in defiance. "You would never ask about something as 'trivial' as the location of my date," he answered firmly. "Obviously Kori roped you into finding out- I _told _her it would be a surprise."

Raven let out a dry laugh. "Wow, you're paranoid."

Richard held his determined gaze.

Sighing in defeat, the pale girl folded. "Fine," she drawled, rolling her eyes mockingly. "Can you at least tell me what the dress code will be? She's been bothering me day and night."

It was true; the redhead was relentless when it came to Richard. Ever since he had asked her out two days ago, she had non-stop talked about him. Raven had already suffered through two nights of her speculation, and she was not prepared to handle a third. Especially since she was still exhausted from her... _bonding _with Garfield the day before.

Thinking of the blonde reminded her to maybe try to talk to him. Ms. Mae had insisted he spend the rest of the day bed-ridden, and she even let it slide when he missed dinner and breakfast the next morning, opting for room-service instead.

Raven couldn't decide if him milking it for all he was worth was genius or infuriating. She settled for infuriatingly genius.

Richard's answer to her question brought her back to reality.

"A dress, I guess," he shrugged noncommittally.

The pale girl felt her eyes narrow against her will. "Do you know how many different types of dresses there are?" she growled. If he could just give her a straight answer, she could be done with the conversation and move on to more pressing matters. Like where the hell Garfield was.

Not that she cared.

The black-haired boy sighed dramatically. "A nice one- I don't know!"

Raven hated that he was bringing out her inner girly girl. Which she had buried deep, deep, _deep _down inside. "I'm going to kill you."

Richard let out a nervous laugh- he was never good at deciphering sarcasm. "Okay, I'll tell you this much- it's a restaurant, and I had to make reservations."

His teammate smiled triumphantly as she stood from her chair and made her way towards the redhead.

Already practicing her grimace, she began to inform Kori of what she could squeeze out of the hotel heir.

* * *

Garfield absentmindedly followed his best friend around the hotel as they searched for their teacher. It was incomprehensible how an old, stout woman who dressed so oddly could seemingly disappear in a sea of teenagers, businessmen, and socialites.

"I can't believe how easy you two got off yesterday," Victor mused, apparently deciding that awkward silence between best friends wasn't normal. "I mean, she literally caught you in Raven's room, and then she let you order room service! What the hell!"

The blonde smiled fondly as he remembered his walk across the hall to his room. Those were an amazing fifteen seconds.

Victor took Garfield's silence as permission to continue his rant. "What were y'all even doing up there, you know, before you decided to puke all over her bathroom."

He rolled his eyes at the larger teen's description. "Well, I walked her up to her room 'cuz she was like super tired and needed a nap, and then... well... Okay, long-story short, I left for like a second and came back and Adoofus was being the little creep that he is and I kinda got into it with him and then Raven got all mad and pulled me into her room and yelled at me and then I threw up."

Victor blinked slowly at the blonde's explanation. "So I'm guessing she knows?"

Garfield gave his best friend a confused look. There were a lot of ways he could take that- she knows he likes her (which he was pretty sure she didn't), she knows he has medication (which was obviously true), or she knows _why _he has medication (which he figured she could figure out on her own, or she'd respect his privacy and let him tell her in his own time).

"Knows what?"

The larger teen gave a hearty chuckle as the two of them made the rounds back towards the lobby. "I don't know, man- you tell me!"

Garfield raised his brows in apprehension. "Well, she knows about my... you know, but she doesn't know what it's for," he admitted, feigning nonchalance. In reality though, he was panicking like crazy- he didn't want Raven thinking there was something wrong with him.

Victor nodded in understanding, letting a lengthy pause build up before his next question. "Are you going to tell her?"

The blonde literally stopped walking as he contemplated over the matter. Raven had shared something so personal with him- on accident- and it was only fair he'd do the same, since she stumbled upon a secret of his own.

Plus, if she was going to be the mother of his children, she needed to know what she would be in for.

Garfield quickly shook that thought out of his head- even _he_ wasn't forward enough to be thinking about impregnating the petite girl, though other things did come to mind...

Again, he shook his head roughly- now he was beginning to think like Adonis- which was a really bad thing, since that guy was a total sleazeball.

"Probably," he sighed, knowing he kind of owed it to her- after all, he'd be worrying like crazy if she had some strange, unknown illness and refused to tell him. But he _did _have a crush on her, which changed the situation the teensiest bit.

Victor had halted his walking too as he gave his best friend a sympathetic look. "That's good- you need to talk about it more," he replied, patting him on the back. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Garfield heaved another sigh. "I know, I just hate being... different."

His best friend's brotherly patting turned into a swift punch in the arm, electing a unmanly squeak from the blonde.

"Ain't nothing wrong with being different," he laughed, pulling up his pant-leg as a reminder.

* * *

Shorter chapter lol. Sorry :)

Anywhoo, in case it was a bit confusing, this chapter took place the next day, so BB had spent the rest of the day after the last chapter in his room 'cuz he wasn't feeling too hot. So now it's... Wednesday (I literally had to go back and read my own story to be sure)!

And I gave a little more info about Garfield (obviously), but you'll probably know what's wrong with him when he tells Raven.

Also, to **meel**, I am so sorry, but they didn't kiss! Raven was comparing his "I like you" to something that would happen in a teenage TV drama (even though she mistook his meaning as "I like you as a friend" when he was really saying "I want to father your children" (okay, maaaybe not specifically that lol)). I am so, so sorry! Forgive me! I didn't mean to mislead you!

Or anyone else who found that confusing!

Also, I will update The After Party... eventually... freaking writer's block :(

Review?


	34. Lying

I own the Teen Titans. Just kidding lol I own nothing. Well, obviously not _nothing, _but you know what I mean.

* * *

Garfield spotted her right away. To others, she was probably easy to miss, especially when she was standing next to someone as vibrant as Kori and as edgy as Jinx. Her dark hair should have blended into the background, and her dark clothes should have faded away as well. Kori's loud laugh and bright outfit should have taken center stage, and Jinx's pink hair should have distracted him as well. It would distract anyone else.

But his eyes focused on her. Which wasn't the smartest thing to do when you're crossing a lobby full of people.

"Watch it!"

Garfield blinked in confusion as he gave the blonde girl in front of him a bewildered look; he had barely even grazed by her, and she was acting like he pushed her to the floor.

"Sorry?" he replied, though it was obvious he didn't mean it.

The girl scowled- he remembered she was a Hive student, with a voice like nails on a chalkboard. Her pretty-with-makeup face was contorted into a look of disgust, and he idly wondered if she owned any color other than pink.

"In your dreams, Jump," she sneered, obviously mistaking his gaze for something else. Something he had been doing to Raven earlier, actually.

"Oh, no- I wasn't-" he began with a curt laugh; sure, this girl was all kinds of rude, but he wasn't going to stoop down to her level- especially since his pale teammate had finally noticed his presence.

"Yo, Kitten! Is this guy giving you a hard time?"

Garfield arched his brows at the sudden reversal of roles. Here he was, minding his own business, and then all of a sudden he barely bumps the girl, and Adonis runs to her rescue. And who names their child Kitten?

"What, bored with your own girl already?" Adonis sneered, clearly enjoying himself.

"I should hope not."

Again, Garfield was confused; now _Raven _was coming to _his _rescue? _What? _

He laughed sheepishly, unsure of what else to do.

His dark-haired teammate rolled her eyes in exasperation- Garfield was hopeless.

"You better keep your boyfriend in line, doll face," the skinny, black-haired teen warned with a smirk. "Looks like he's trying make a move on my teammate here."

The blonde girl Garfield had been talking to earlier snorted in amusement. "I can't blame him- look at what he has to date!"

The whole scene was suddenly feeling too teen-drama for Raven. She needed to escape to her books.

"Come on," she sighed, pulling her confused teammate away from the Hive students.

Garfield looked down at the hand she was using to pull him away. She was grasping his wrist gently, and he absently wondered why she wouldn't just grab his hand. That'd be more convincing, wouldn't it?

When Raven felt they were far enough away from other people to speak freely, she dropped his wrist.

"How are... Do you... Are you feeling better?"

Garfield couldn't stop the small smile forming on his lips. He had spent the rest of his day yesterday attempting to read her book while worrying about what she thought of him, when she seemed to be actually worrying _about_ him.

"Just peachy!" he laughed, inadvertently reminding her of his time in her bathroom.

She gave him an inquisitive look, and he suddenly felt like he was under the microscope. It was like she was pitying him while judging him and he didn't like it.

He giggled slightly under her gaze. "W-were you really worried about me?" he teased nervously.

Her brows furrowed in thought. "Should I be?"

He suddenly kind of hated how perceptive she was. It was ironic how she claimed to hate people and be so out of tune with them, and yet she could read him like a book.

But she _did _read a lot.

"I think that's a story for another time, Rae," he replied sheepishly. Victor's encouragement floated around in his head, and he allowed himself to entertain the thought of telling her the truth.

Studying her concerned look, he decided that while she'd be pretty regardless of her expression, pity wasn't his favorite.

"When you don't tell me anything, I begin to think the worst," she admitted shyly, as if actually owning up to being worried about someone embarrassed her. Or maybe it was just being worried about him.

"You think too much."

Raven's eyes widened at her teammate's statement. Here she was, trying to be serious about the situation at hand, and he was turning it into some kind of joke. She didn't understand why he didn't trust her- she had confided in him, and she didn't trust _anyone._

"I just don't-"

"Listen," he cut her off with a small smile, before continuing, "We shared a lot of personal stuff yesterday... and I think we need a break from all... _this,_" he finished, gesturing in between them.

Raven understood- in the wake of her reveal, she realized he had shared something, too. She shouldn't expect him to share _everything. _

"Okay," she sighed, albeit reluctantly.

He grinned at her obvious displeasure, and opened his mouth to change the subject when a new voice spoke up.

"Did I just witness you guys break up?"

Garfield gave the blue team's vice president a strange look.

"What?" he and his pale teammate blurted in unison.

Roy gave them a cocky smile. "'Think the worst', 'we need a break'- sounds like a break-up to me."

Raven tilted her head to the side quizzically. She wasn't sure whether to deny his claims or shrug nonchalantly- it wasn't like she was _really _dating Garfield, and if they "broke up", she was sure they could still get Adonis to back off.

Garfield, on the other hand, was staring at his friend in horror. Just the other day he had made an off-handed comment about Raven being cute, and if he truly believed the two of them _had _broken up, nothing would stop him from sweet-talking the pale girl. He and Roy weren't close enough friends to abide by the bro-code.

"No!" he exclaimed with a terrible blush. He and Raven were finally getting closer, and he could not jeopardize it by letting some guy like _Roy Harper _mess it up.

Even though he wasn't quite sure if there was anything _to _mess up.

Raven gave Garfield a strange look, before rolling her eyes and playing along. "You misheard- or misunderstood, or whatever," she deadpanned.

Roy looked a little unconvinced, and Garfield had the strangest feeling that he was figuring it all out. "My bad; carry on," he smirked, walking back towards his own team.

The blonde let out a sigh of relief while his pale teammate crossed her arms. "I don't understand why we're lying to your _friends,_" she admitted somewhat aggressively. It seemed as though the situation was just getting more and more humiliating.

Garfield shrugged sheepishly- he wasn't planning on it either, but when Garth and Roy had heard they were dating, they figured it was true. Plus, it was kind of an ego boost to think those two guys (who girls chased after often in school) actually thought Garfield Logan, the class-clown, could get a girl like Raven.

He glanced at her as she tucked a few wayward pieces of her hair behind her ear and sighed wearily.

If only he actually _could _get a girl like Raven.

Preferably Raven herself.

* * *

Kind of a filler chapter! Posting it before I head off to work! Haha

Next chapter should be up... maybe Sunday evening? Or Monday? Depends on my schedule :)

So wittle Gar's got a wittle crush on Rae... obviously lol

I also realized all my Hive students thus far have been male, so I brought in Kitten 'cuz she seemed like a good contrast to the others. Idk. Whateves. Lol. I need one more chick-villain though, so any suggestions? (cough cough not Terra)

Review!


	35. Types

Maybe I'll write an actual book and make actual money and then buy the actual rights to the Teen Titans, since I don't actually own them or anything.

* * *

Raven tried to convince herself that the tight feeling in her chest she got when Garfield was talking to the blonde girl was _not _jealousy. Why should she care if some girl was talking to her teammate? It wasn't like he was her boyfriend. Well, at least not her _real _boyfriend.

She continued to tell herself that as she went towards him and pulled him away. She was briefly aware of speaking, but she hadn't put too much thought into it. She was more focused on her _not-jealously _and her _not-worrying _of the blonde boy. And she asked how he was doing because she was only making conversation.

Raven honestly didn't care. Sure, she might have pressed for more information on his condition, but only because she wanted to make sure it wasn't contagious. She couldn't care less if he was slowly dying or losing his mind or whatever crazy scenario her _not-worried _brain could come up with.

And when Roy accused them of breaking up, she _knew _she didn't care. So what if they "broke up"? Maybe then she'd get some peace and quiet. And then he could go talk to that blonde, Barbie Doll Hive student in the princess pink sun-dress and matching heels. Garfield looked like he'd like blondes- not dark, raven-haired pale girls with no defining body-shape or striking features. She was plain; ordinary; _boring. _

Garfield smiled awkwardly at his teammate after Roy left. He didn't know what to say, and her eyes scanning the room angrily didn't really help.

He decided to take the opportunity to stare shamelessly at the pale girl.

Her face had its usual lack of expression, and though he preferred a smile to grace her lips, she was still breathtaking. And the way she was crossing her arms over her baggy, blue sweater helped show that though she was petite, she had a nice, subtle hour-glass shape.

She sighed again, this time with a hint of frustration as she tried in vain to keep her hair from flying into her face as the hotel's front doors swung open and shut, allowing in a small draft.

Before he realized what he was doing, he reached a hand towards her and tucked the hair behind her ear for her, letting his fingertips brush against the smooth skin of her cheekbone.

His action took a while to sink in for both of them, but after several seconds, both of their eyes widened and they gained matching blushes.

"Sorry," he mumbled hurriedly, pulling his hand back faster than what seemed possible.

Raven couldn't find her voice as she scolded her stomach for fluttering and her skin for tingling at where his fingers had touched her.

"Whatever," she finally managed to croak out. Damn her voice for sounding so flustered. And damn him for making her feel that way.

She needed to do something to douse the awkwardness.

"So it seems I've got some competition," she mused lightly, hoping he could sense the teasing in her voice. And maybe reveal he _didn't _have a thing for blondes.

Garfield gave her a bewildered look. "What?"

She let out a snort of amusement. "Making a move on that blonde girl," she elaborated with a smirk.

He almost laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of her accusation. "Oh my god! No, no no no!" he grinned with a dramatic cringe.

Raven gently reminded herself that the light feeling in her chest was in no way _relief. _"What, you don't think she was pretty?" she deadpanned. For some reason, she really wanted to know the answer.

Garfield shrugged nonchalantly. "Not really my type," he confessed.

The dark-haired girl turned herself to face him, giving him a strange look. "Really?" she blurted in surprise. The Hive girl seemed like every guy's type- blonde, thin, pretty, and unmistakable dumb. How could she _not _be his type?

Her teammate forced out a flustered laugh. "Yeah, _really,_" he smirked, finding her confused expression downright adorable.

"B-but she's hot!"

Garfield's eyes widened in amusement at Raven's exclamation. "Then why don't _you _'make a move'?" he teased.

Immediately the pale girl blushed as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, she's not really _my _type, either."

Garfield continued to taunt his teammate. "Hmm, so what kind of girl _is _your type?" he grinned.

Raven gently smacked his shoulder as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "The kind that are, in fact, _not _female."

The blonde boy pouted dramatically. "Awe, you're no fun."

She rolled her eyes again as she directed her attention back to the busy lobby.

Garfield kept his eyes glued on her as he began to think. If he hadn't ever met her, he probably _would _have found Kitten attractive. He had always sort of had a thing for blonde hair- at least until he realized how utterly beautiful dark hair was. Maybe it was because he found her quiet, mysterious beauty so new and exciting compared to the dolled-up, tanned and toned girls at his school. Or maybe it was the fact that he didn't want to be seen as a guy with a "type".

Whatever it was, he knew it started on that plane several days ago. He couldn't even look at another girl anymore, and it kind of scared him. Why did Raven have to be so... _different? _Why did he have to be so infatuated by her violet eyes and monotone voice? Or captivated by the way her pale skin contrasted with her dark hair?

How had this moody, un-materialistic, and somewhat _creepy _girl turn him into a total sap?

"Quit staring at me- it's unnerving."

_Oops._

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly. He knew he was blushing from being caught, but he felt his curiosity spike as he wondered why _she _was blushing. Maybe he embarrassed her? She did seem uncomfortable with every single advance any guys had made so far. It surprised him, really- how could someone as stunning as her _not _be use to male attention?

_Ah, home-schooled, _he reminded himself.

Raven felt even more flustered as he continued to stare at her, even after being caught. If he were any other guy, she'd ignore it. But it was _Garfield. _

And for some unfathomable reason, she found him so god damn attractive.

In a purely observational way, of course.

He finally found his commonsense and diverted his eyes from her, and she took the opportunity to give in to her girlish desire and appreciate _his _appearance.

Blonde was apparently _her _type, which she found rather annoying and conventional. And the fact that he was taller and kind of wiry miffed her as well, since she found it exceptionally appealing. Overly buff guys never did much for her; hell, she even found Richard a tad too buff, and he was definitely no body-builder. Obviously she liked some muscle on a guy, but more in the sense of toned and healthy. And a six-pack wouldn't hurt.

She caught herself as her eyes traveled towards his abdomen, and she quickly turned away before he could catch her checking him out. That would be mortifying.

She tried to focus on something else, other than the fine male specimen standing beside her. The lavish lobby, her giggling teammates, the glare of the Hive students- anything other than her stupid teammate.

Not that he was stupid in the mental sense. Sure, he was no Einstein, but he was most likely an above-average student. And besides, she always liked being the smartest in the room. The blonde did have his sense of humor going for him- at least compared to her. Though his jokes were lame, she found them kind of endearing. He seemed so innocent and playful, and she liked how un-serious things were with him. Well, most of the time, anyways.

The fact that she could trust him was a big bonus. Telling him about her past was remarkably easy as she found herself unable to stop once she started. And how sweet he had been the whole time- she couldn't help but think he'd make an amazing boyfriend.

Feeling herself blush- _again- _she quickly shook away those thoughts.

There was no way in _hell _she was crushing on Garfield Logan.

* * *

Hmm... I don't know if I believe Rae-Rae... she seems a little smitten, don't you think?

So it seems Raven is figuring out there's more to Garfield than his good-looks; but I don't think she _wants _to figure that out. Poor girl :(

And obviously BB is totally attracted to her, but contrary to what this chapter may have portrayed, his feelings for her run deeper than a simple physical attraction. He's not shallow or anything- otherwise Kitten would _totally _be his type.

Anywhoo, leave a review? Those are nice :)

And I will attempt to update The After Party later today (hopefully)! Lol


	36. Close

Cray... you are... _NOT _the owner of the Teen Titans! *audience cheers, I do a little happy dance before I realize how depressing that is*

* * *

"Well, it looks like we're up in donations, but our country's economy is in the sh-"

"Please refrain from using something so vulgar in reference to our country."

Garfield smiled sheepishly from over Raven's shoulder. He was pulling a "Dick" and hovering over her, and he knew it was getting on her nerves, but he actually _did _need to read up on their statistics so far.

The teachers who organized the field trip had put together a website to show each team's score in real time. So far, _Logania_ was in third place, right after the blue team's_ Eastian_ and Gotham High's _Gotharia._

And Raven called _Garfield _unimaginative._  
_

But on the bright side, they had almost twice as many donations as the rest of the charities, so CAAC was keeping them in first place on that front.

Raven _needed _to be in first place. That scholarship money would determine whether or not she could transfer upstate to a better school after her pre-reqs, so her future was basically depending on winning.

Garfield, on the other hand, didn't care so much about winning. He liked to focus more on the journey than the destination, and as long as they were raising money for a good cause, he was happy. Plus, he got to hang out with his pale teammate all day.

Even though at this particular moment, she looked like she was three seconds away from ripping someone's head off. And his close proximity to her was a sure indicator that it'd be _his _head.

"Where's Richard?" she asked bluntly, obviously trying to maintain an all-business like front.

The blonde shrugged halfheartedly- he couldn't care less where the black-haired boy had run off to. "Probably making out with Kori somewhere."

He watched his teammate stiffen slightly, and he felt a sense of dread wash over him as a strange thought crossed his mind- did Raven have feelings for Richard?

This whole time he had been focusing on Richard two-timing her and his friend, but maybe this was just the classic case of unrequited love?

Raven, on the other hand, was trying to stifle a laugh at Garfield's casual explanation for their friends' disappearance. It seemed public school _was _a little similar to what she had imagined.

When she felt her face was void of all emotion, she turned to him to reply, but was momentarily caught off guard by how close he was.

The blonde was behind her, but leaning forward so that his face was right next to hers. He was no doubt reading over her shoulder- something she _hated_- but she wasn't able to remember that as he turned his head slightly to face her as well.

Their faces were maybe four inches apart, and Raven couldn't help but notice the small, subtle freckles adorning the bridge of his nose, or the way his irises seemed to be made up of every shade of green.

Garfield's train of thought differed just a tad from hers as his mind jumped back and forth. One second, he'd marvel over the flawlessness of her pale, porcelain skin, and the next second he's wondering what song they'd play at his funeral after Raven killed him for being so close.

Their frazzled and flustered minds seemed to have synced up briefly as both their gazes were suddenly drawn to each other's lips.

Raven hadn't ever been kissed before, though she wasn't necessarily ashamed of it. She had come close with the stupid guy she met when she first moved to Jump, but thankfully they had been interrupted and she didn't waste something so precious on him.

Garfield had also neglected to have his first kiss, and as an almost-eighteen-year-old man, he _was _rather embarrassed. But now his lips were only inches away from Raven's, and he couldn't help but think that regardless of his age, he'd never be ashamed if his first kiss was with her.

It surprised both of them when _he _was the one to turn away, a bright blush quickly consuming his face.

"Well, looks like _Logania_ has some catching up to do," he croaked out awkwardly.

The dark-haired girl nodded in response, finding it too difficult to conjure up words. Her mouth had been preparing for something _else._

The blonde avoided looking at her, as not to lose his resolve and do something he knew they'd both regret. Raven didn't seem like the type of girl to just jump into a relationship with a guy she barely met, and Garfield was trying his hardest to _not _be that type of guy- if past experience taught him anything at all, it was that taking it slow let you appreciate all the little things.

Like how uniquely beautiful Raven's eyes were. With other girls, he'd notice the basics- whether they were blue, brown, or somewhere in the middle. But with Raven, he noticed that they had a dark, purple-like tint in certain light, and even though she kept up a bored expression, her eyes revealed every emotion running through her head.

He also found himself marveling over her lips. The bottom one was a bit fuller, but her top lip hung over it slightly, as if her mouth was in a reverse-pout.

The blonde realized with a start that he had turned back towards her and was openly gaping at her- _again._

Raven had enough sense to turn away this time, trying to ignore the way his mouth was parted in thought, or how his cheeks sunk in slightly, showing off his high cheekbones and defined jaw line.

She quickly turned her head back towards him, finally finding her voice and readying herself to tell him off, when a certain pink-haired girl behind them bumped the blonde ever so slightly.

Both their eyes widened as their noses knocked together, and an audible groan of frustration was heard from behind them when their lips _didn't _make contact.

Garfield quickly pulled away, holding his nose in pain and giving Jinx a proper glare. Raven did the same, the scowl on her face illustrating her current mood perfectly.

"What the hell?!"

Jinx smiled at their accidental synchronization and shrugged nonchalantly. "Oops, my bad," she smirked.

* * *

It was now dinner time, meaning several hours had passed since... since whatever the hell that was that happened between Raven and Garfield.

The pale girl couldn't even bring herself to look at him, and after giving Jinx a piece of her mind, she quickly fled the lobby in search of Richard. Surprisingly, the black-haired teen _wasn't _with Kori; instead, he was passing out more donation fliers by the hotel's pool and casino.

She wanted to talk to him about her... almost... thing with Garfield, but couldn't find the words to explain what had happened. She wasn't even sure what had almost happened.

Garfield reacted similarly by hunting down Victor and not saying a word. He didn't know what to say.

So, as expected, dinner was incredibly awkward. They had somehow gotten seated across from each other, so every time they looked up, they made eye contact.

Raven daydreamed about teleporting away or just phasing through the floor.

Garfield entertained the thought of stabbing himself in the face with his fork, but decided that would maybe be overreacting.

Regardless, neither teen was looking forward to the trip upstairs in the long, quiet, cramped elevator.

Thank god they had Victor and Jinx to keep them company.

_Oh, wait._

* * *

Omg an almost kiss? Is that not one of the most clichéd and over-used concepts in all fanfictions? Lol

Random question! How old were you guys when you had your first kiss? I was five and in kindergarten, but that doesn't really count, soooo I guess my _real _one was right after I turned 16, and unfortunately it was wasted :( Oh well. Anywhoo, if you feel comfortable sharing, go ahead! I'm just curious since most people seem to think that being 17-18 and never being kissed is lame, but I say more power to you! Save your lip virginity for someone special! Not the guy you like's best friend! (tmi? haha)

Oh, or keep the juicy details to yourself and just leave a review? :D


	37. Interruptions

The rights to the Teen Titans are not mine.

* * *

The elevator ride was significantly more awkward than expected. Richard and Kori had opted to visit the gift shop before turning in, Jinx had left dinner early to call Wally, and was most likely already in the room, and Victor had to talk to Ms. Mae about something.

Which left Raven and Garfield alone in the elevator. Well, technically they weren't alone at first- there were a couple other students from the other schools riding up with them, but they had gotten off a few floors below theirs. So now it was just the two of them. Alone. In a small, confined room. That was moving up towards-

The elevator suddenly jolted to a stop, causing Raven to lose her balance and stumble forward. Garfield, who had surprisingly quick reflexes, caught her before she fell. He helped her straighten back up, and blushed furiously as she looked up at him.

She wanted to say thanks, but their faces were suddenly so close again, and that weird tension from before was filling the room. She felt like she was drowning. Or suffocating. Or-

Before she could ponder further on what it was she felt, the elevator started up again. Which caused them both to stumble backwards as her back hit against the wall and their heads knocked together.

They both let out a groan of pain as Garfield rubbed his head tenderly, unaware of the fact that he was accidentally cornering his pale teammate. She seemed to not notice as well as she, too, rubbed her head in pain.

With a final jolt, the elevator came to a stop on their floor and opened with a hiss.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?"

Both teens eyes widened as they stared at each other, finally realizing how close they were. Again. It was as if the universe had planned on making things as awkward as possible.

Raven finally tore her eyes away from Garfield's and directed her attention towards the blue team's president. Even though Raven hadn't really talked to the girl, she could understand why Victor was seemingly so terrified of her.

Bee stood there with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips, arching an eyebrow at the curious situation in front of her.

Garfield finally had the sense to turn around, and surprisingly sighed in relief that it wasn't one of their own teammates who had caught them. Nope, just Karen Beecher. Which was maybe even worse.

"You must be Raven," the confident girl assumed, stepping into the elevator before the doors shut. She reached her tan hand towards the pale girl, maneuvering around the blonde, who was still a little too close to her for comfort. And least, Raven _told _herself it was uncomfortable.

She quickly shook the other girl's hand, offering a shy smile.

Bee smiled back. "I'm Karen, but feel free to call me Bee."

Raven opened her mouth to respond, but Garfield beat her to it.

"Don't even bother, Bee- Rae doesn't do nicknames," he smirked, leaning back against the wall beside her.

"It's Raven," she replied automatically.

Garfield bumped her shoulder playfully with his own. "See?" he laughed, sparing a fleeting glance at her.

As he expected, she was glaring at him.

Bee let out a snort of amusement at the little "lover's quarrel" she was witnessing. "Don't be like that, guys," she smirked, crossing her arms in a smug manner. "Come on, kiss and make-up."

Raven's eyes widened in horror as Garfield's jaw dropped. Why was this happening to them?

Bee continued to look amused. "Don't be shy, guys. I feel bad for interrupting your little make-out session, so go ahead and give each other a quick peck- I won't look!" she snickered, turning her back towards the teens and pushing the button for the lobby.

They realized bitterly that they were about to go all the way back down, meaning they'd have to go all the way back up again and stand awkwardly beside each other for even _longer. _

And Raven couldn't handle it much longer.

Obviously realizing the couple was too flustered to do what she said, Bee let out another laugh. "No offense, Raven, but Gar never talked about you," she mused, peeking over her shoulder with another smirk.

_Because he didn't even know me, _the pale girl thought in exasperation.

"Rae didn't want to advertise it," Garfield lied as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "She's not allowed to date til she's eighteen."

Hearing his explanation, Bee turned around all the way. "Dang girl, that sucks," she replied, giving Raven a sympathetic look.

The dark-haired girl nodded timidly. "Yeah, but I'll be eighteen in a month, so it's not for too much longer," she shrugged, feeling slightly strange for going along with her blonde teammate's story. Again.

Hell, at this rate, the two were probably going to tell people they were getting married if he kept it up. Apparently lying about dating her was one of his hobbies. Along with always being too close and cracking corny jokes and hitting his face against hers.

Raven wasn't even sure why they were keeping the façade up; Adonis didn't seem to care if she had a boyfriend, and she was making the blonde lie to his friends. They should come clean- or at least fake break-up and remain friends.

Unbeknownst to her, though, was the fact that Garfield wanted to do the _opposite _of that and _actually _start dating her. It was a win-win to him- she'd be his girlfriend and he wouldn't be lying about it to his friends. But he knew not to get his hopes up; she was barely warming up to their _friendship, _and he wouldn't risk it by planting a kiss on her. Though if the situation presented itself again, he knew he'd act on it. He guiltily hoped that maybe Bee would teasingly suggest they kiss again, and he could actually go through with it and claim it was to "keep up the act". And then maybe Raven would realize that she liked him too and they could start dating for real.

Or she'd slap him and refuse to talk to him ever again.

Sadly, the latter seemed like the most probable outcome.

He hadn't even realized that he was idling playing with her fingers as he got lost in his thoughts. Raven had, though.

Her hand was gripping the bar behind her tightly, and he had been absently rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. Bee was talking to her again, but she couldn't concentrate on what the girl was saying as her eyes kept darting to the blonde next to her, who was staring into space.

Either he wasn't aware of what he was doing, or he was amazing at acting like a legitimate boyfriend.

They finally reached the lobby. As the doors hissed open, Bee gave them both a smug smile before saying farewell and getting off the elevator.

The doors closed again, and Garfield quickly hit their floor button, idly wondering why Bee had gone back down. Maybe she had to talk to Ms. Mae too?

He shrugged internally and resumed standing next to the pale girl, who was giving him a strange look. His gave her a sideways glance, feeling himself blush at the intense way she was staring at him.

He arched his brows in confusion, and she, too, began to blush when she realized she had been caught.

She had been trying to figure out how he could always be so casual with their "relationship" and make it seem like he was honestly dating her. And it wasn't like he was screaming it out and showcasing it; he was so subtle, like brushing her hand tentatively or letting his eyes linger on her as they spoke. Even they way he smiled at her gave outsiders the actual impression that they were dating.

But once it was just the two of them, he reverted back into his somewhat awkward, goofy self. She wasn't sure if it was because he _did _legitimately like her like Jinx suggested, or because he was just as embarrassed as her.

She realized in horror that she was hoping it _wasn't _the latter.

* * *

So I decided to write Bee into the story a bit more, since I tend to under-utilize her in all my other stories, and I think she is a pretty cool character. I like that she's like super confident and whatnot. It's cool that they actually have her be the Titans East leader. Whoohoo girl-power!

Also, she seems super observant as well, and no doubt picked up on the awkwardness between our two lovebirds. Does that mean their little facade is crumbling down, and they'll be exposed? Or are they going to have to work even harder at keeping up appearances? Ah, the suspense!

Anywhoo, review? This has reached 50 followers, which is super duper cool! And we're almost to 200 reviews, which is incredibly awesome! You guys are seriously like soooo amazing! Thank you for putting up with me and my teasing ways! I promise there is more BBRae to come- I just happen to build things up excruciatingly slow ;)


	38. Dreams

I do not own any of the Teen Titans, or anything associated with them.

* * *

Garfield awoke the next morning in a panic. Covered in sweat, he blinked at the crack of sunlight peeking through his window. Turning his head to look at the clock, he saw it was barely six in the morning.

He jumped out of bed immediately and headed for the shower; he didn't want to risk falling back asleep.

Especially after that dream._  
_

He dreamt that Raven had somehow found out about his crush on her. She had laughed at first, before telling him that she could never like him like that- she didn't even like him as a friend.

She then went on about how annoying he was, and that everyone could see through his mask. Everyone knew he was a sad little boy; he was so pathetic, even his own body was betraying him.

And she could never like a guy who killed his own parents.

Just like dreams tend to do, she had begun shifting into his mom, who was giving him a disappointed look. She, too, said that she never loved him, and it was his fault she died.

Then there was something about a werewolf and him turning green, before he finally woke up.

Raven, too, had awaken with a start.

She had dreamt that Garfield had taken her to the roof of the hotel, and started telling her how pretty she was and that he liked her. She had listened in shock, and before she knew it, he had leaned in and kissed her.

She had stood there, debating on whether to pull away or kiss him back, but thankfully she woke up before she decided on what to do.

And she wasn't going to let herself fall back asleep and find out.

She knew she couldn't possibly have any feelings for the blonde. That stupid guy back in Jump had successfully tainted her view on teenage boys, and she had vowed not to date until she was in her twenties, so that _maybe _the guys her age would be a little more mature.

So how in the world could she be _possibly _crushing on _Garfield?! _He was the definition of immature.

And nice, and sweet, and cute, and-

No, he was the definition of infuriating- she couldn't ever like a guy like him. Regardless of how cute he was.

She groaned in exasperation as she climbed out of her bed and trudged towards the shower. Hopefully the steam and hot water would pound some sense into her.

She stayed in there until a furious pounding at the door let her know that Jinx was up. She sighed wearily, turning off the shower and wrapping a towel around herself as she stepped out.

The knocking continued, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation, not even bothering to change as she opened the door.

"It's all yours," she deadpanned, slipping out of the bathroom. Jinx gave her an annoyed look before shutting the door after her. Realizing she probably used up all the hot water, Raven quickly changed into a somewhat suitable outfit, which consisted of a pair of loose-fitting skinny jeans and a light grey sweatshirt. Forgoing makeup, she pulled her wet hair into a ponytail and left the room in a hurry, just in time to hear Jinx shriek from the cold water hitting her.

She closed the door after her, realizing she had no way of knowing what time it was since she left her phone in the room. Taking a guess, she figured it was probably a little before seven, meaning she had almost two hours of free time before she was expected down in the lobby. Feeling somewhat nostalgic, she decided to pay Richard an early morning visit, since she hadn't got to spend much time with him after he had asked out Kori. Making her way towards his private elevator, she prayed that he hadn't changed his code.

Smiling to herself as the doors dinged open, she quickly hopped on and pressed the button for the penthouse.

Once the elevator came to a stop and the doors hissed open, she was greeted by the familiar sight of Richard's lounge. She quietly tiptoed towards his room, hoping that Bruce wasn't lurking around somewhere. He was rarely ever in the penthouse, but Raven knew that technically it was his home, and he probably wouldn't appreciate random teenagers creeping around so early in the morning.

When she finally reached Richard's door, she tentatively knocked. At first, nothing happened, but when she pressed her ear to the door, she could hear the teen slowly clambering out of bed.

He opened his door slowly, obviously not expecting Raven, since he was only dressed in his traffic-light colored boxers and a white t-shirt.

"Rave?!" he exclaimed, a blush forming on his face as he, too, realized what he was wearing.

She snorted in amusement as he hastily shut the door in her face, before opening it a moment later, now wearing sweatpants.

"Good morning, Richard," she smirked. She always cherished the moments when he wasn't being his usual, confident self. It was nice to be reminded that someone as wealthy as him was also human.

"How did you get in here?" he asked, his blush fading once he realized it was only Raven, his self-proclaimed sister.

"I teleported," she replied sarcastically.

She watched as he bit back his own sarcastic remark, and instead stepped out of his room and towards the lounge.

"Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, but what are you doing?" he asked, glancing at the clock over his TV, which showed that it wasn't even seven. "And why are you here so early?"

Raven bit her lip slightly as she followed him, realizing that even _she _wasn't sure why she came up. All she knew is that she needed someone to talk to, other than Garfield. Because she couldn't very well talk _about _Garfield _to _Garfield.

So Richard would have to do.

"I'm so confused," she blurted, plopping down onto the black armchair in the room. Richard follow suit as he sat down on the matching black couch.

"About what?"

She slowly focused on her breathing as she figured out how to word her despair. Usually when her mind became this frazzled, she'd meditate- something her neighbors in Jump had taught her. But clearing her mind lately was hard, especially when all she seemed to do was think about a certain blonde.

"I think I might be... having _feelings,_" she admitted, stressing the last word.

Richard blinked in confusion. "_Feelings?_" he repeated.

She nodded her head timidly.

The black-haired teen regarded her skeptically. "_Feelings _about what? Or whom?"

Raven really didn't want to say it. Saying it would make it true, and if it were true, she couldn't deny it any longer. And if she couldn't deny it, she'd have to accept it. And accepting it was unacceptable, because it would only lead to-

"Garfield!" she exclaimed, her own voice betraying her and interrupting her thoughts.

She watched in horror as Richard slowly pieced it together. How could she have actually admitted it?

_Did the Malcolm thing not teach you _anything?! she thought bitterly, cursing herself for even thinking he-who-shall-not-be-named's name.

"Garfield?" Richard echoed, obviously having a hard time with this new information. She knew that he had probably expected it, but not her _admitting _to it. This was huge for Raven.

"What... what do I do?" she whispered. Last time she had a crush, the guy had lied to her about everything and made it even harder for her to trust someone. And she had already trusted Garfield with so much- she didn't know what she would do if the same thing happened.

"Are you sure?"

Raven gave her friend a strange look. What kind of question was that? _"Are you sure?" _Is she sure about _what? _Liking Garfield?

"No, I am _not _sure," she snapped, standing up from the chair in frustration. "I'm not sure about _anything! _And I'm _always _sure!"

Richard held his hands in front of him defensively. "Whoa, Rave! Calm down!"

She glared at him- how _dare _he tell her to "calm down"! Did he not know that you never, _ever _say that to a girl? Was he _stupid?!_

"_Excuse me?!_"

He obviously realized his mistake as he gave her a nervous smile. "I'm just trying to understand, Raven," he explained gently.

Raven let out a labored sigh- she knew she was being a little dramatic, which was a completely foreign concept for her. Raven didn't _do _dramatic.

"How can I possibly like him? We've barely known each other for a week," she muttered, sitting back down.

Richard rolled his eyes fondly. "Right, I totally forgot that that's totally not a thing, and that me and Kori have known each other for years," he mused sarcastically, earning a small smile from the pale girl.

"It's not a thing for _me,_" she clarified. _At least not anymore, _she added in her head.

Her friend let out a snort of amusement. "Not everything has to make sense, Rave. Sometimes things happen that we can't explain, and it's best to just go with the flow and see where you end up."

Raven let out a small giggle at how zen the black-haired teen was being. "Namaste," she smirked, earning another eye roll from him.

"Come on! I'm trying to be insightful!" he laughed.

Raven rolled her eyes before standing up from the chair and making her way towards the couch. She sat down beside the black-haired boy, giving him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Richard."

He smiled back, giving her a quick side-hug. "No problem, Rave."

She bit back a groan at the gesture, before settling next to him on the couch. "Can we watch some mindless cable TV to distract me from _feeling?_" she suggested with a smirk.

Richard nodded animatedly as he reached for the remote. "Sure thing, but I have some questions... regarding Kori..."

Raven rolled her eyes fondly- "girl-talk" with Richard wasn't exactly what she had in mind, but as long as it kept her from thinking too hard about Garfield, she was all for it. She really didn't want to think about the fact that she was having these feelings, but as long as she could keep them to a minimum, she'd be fine, and he'd never know.

It was a good thing she was an expert at hiding how she really felt.

* * *

Did... did Rae-Rae just come to terms with the fact that she has _feelings _for Gar? WHAT?!

OMG the insanity!

Review? :P


	39. Avoiding

It makes me so upset that I don't own the Teen Titans!

* * *

For some reason, Garfield was avoiding her. She couldn't remember saying anything to make him upset with her, but he was literally going out of his way to avoid talking to her or sitting next to her. She had even gone to the extent of willingly sitting beside him at lunch, and he had actually gotten up and moved seats- claiming that he needed to tell Victor something.

Raven wasn't sure why this upset her- after all, she _wanted _him to leave her alone. Or at least, she _had. _But it seemed like when she finally came to terms with her slight crush on him, he decided to stop paying her attention.

Unless he was acting no different, and she had only been seeing what she wanted to see.

Garfield, on the other hand, _knew _he was avoiding her. He knew he shouldn't have let a dream affect him like that, but it had. He was being extra careful not to annoy her, which inadvertently caused her to question his motives.

But that dream had just gotten to him.

He had been purposefully sitting away from her and not talking to her all morning in the hopes that it would make up for the entire week-worth of annoyance he had put her through. He could tell she was picking up on his weird vibes, since she kept giving him strange looks. He could have sworn she was even going out of _her _way to get him to talk to her.

But he couldn't let that happen- he needed to give her space, especially after all the weirdness from the past couple of days.

Not even ten minutes after awkwardly avoiding her at lunch, he made the mistake of offering to get some supplies from Richard's room to get away from the pale girl, but little did he know that she would be accompanying him up there.

_Apparently _she knew where everything was, and the black-haired boy was too preoccupied with giving their redheaded teammate googly-eyes to get the stuff himself.

They rode up Richard's private elevator in silence- Garfield not wanting to annoy her, and Raven not wanting to upset him.

Surprisingly, she was the first to break the tension as they stepped into the penthouse.

"Are you mad at me?"

The blonde gave her a quizzical look, cursing himself for being so obvious with avoiding her. He hadn't wanted her to feel that way.

"No, why?" he smiled, attempting to channel his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor.

She wasn't buying it.

Grabbing his hand (which sped his heart-rate up to a speed that didn't seem physically possible), she pulled him towards Richard's couch and sat him down.

"Garfield," she replied sternly, giving him a pointed look. "You've been avoiding me."

He smiled sheepishly at her as she sat beside him, feeling a little flustered at their close proximity. "No I haven't," he laughed.

She glared in response.

He let out another nervous laugh, before ditching the facade. "Okay, maybe I have been avoiding you a little," he admitted.

The hurt look on her face was enough to make his heart break and his head spin in confusion- why did she seem so affected by his reveal?

"W-why?" she stuttered in a very un-Raven-like manner.

Yep, that was officially the most heart-wrenching thing he could have ever imagined.

"It's nothing bad!" he insisted, unconsciously scooting closer to her. "I just had a really weird dream, and I know it's stupid to let something like that affect me when I'm awake, but it felt so real and was so..."

He continued rambling, but Raven wasn't really hearing it. All she could think about was her own dream, and how she had sat on this couch earlier that morning and admitted her crush. Soon she found herself focusing on his lips, and the way they moved as he talked, and she began to wonder how they'd feel moving against her own.

She slowly started leaning in, and he abruptly stopped his rambling as the distance between their mouths began closing. He watched wide-eyed as she came even closer, and like a magnet, he began leaning towards her as well.

He could feel her breath on his lips as he closed his eyes, and the slightest brush of contact sent his heart fluttering, before a forced cough behind them sent him to the other side of the couch.

Both teens whipped their heads around to see the owner of the hotel and adoptive father of their friend standing behind them with a small smirk on his face.

"Don't mind me, I'm just getting something to eat, since this _is _where I live and all," he drawled, passing through the lounge and towards the gourmet kitchen.

Garfield turned his sights back on Raven, who was bright red. She swiftly stood from the couch and rushed towards Richard's desk, grabbing his laptop and some flashcards. She didn't even spare the blonde a glance as she raced out of the room, not even bothering to use the private elevator.

Garfield sat in shock for a good minute, before the shuffling in the kitchen reminded him he was technically in somebody else's house. Racing to the door after her, he wasn't surprised to find that she had already taken the public elevator back down. Sighing to himself, he pressed the button to go back down as well.

He knew he should have just kept avoiding her.

* * *

Raven was a mess.

She had almost _kissed him. _

_Again. _

What was wrong with her? How could she break all of her promises to herself for some boy she had barely known a week? And how could she do something as stupid as _almost kissing him _when they still had to endure each other for _another _week?

It was going to be beyond awkward now- she couldn't even imagine _looking _at him, let alone talking to him. And she knew he was the type of person to _talk about things. _He was going to make her _talk _about it.

And she hated _talking _almost as much as she hated _feeling. _And this damn boy was making her do both.

She didn't understand how she could just throw away all the independence and confidence she had gained after Malcolm. Sure, she was still a ball of insecurities, but she wasn't even eighteen yet- could you really blame her?

But at least she had enough self-respect to _not _throw herself at any cute guy who gave her so much as a second look. And sure, maybe she didn't get that too often, being home-schooled and horribly shy, but she figured her reserves were strong enough to hold up when the situation arose.

But apparently she was wrong.

This boy- this stupid, immature, loud-mouthed class-clown, had proved her wrong. Had shown her she was weak.

He had taken all of her walls and broke them down with goofy grins and stupid puns. And she had almost _kissed _him.

That wasn't supposed to happen- people didn't just fall for each other like that. It took months- maybe even _years _to get comfortable enough to start to develop _feelings- _right? She couldn't honestly _like _Garfield this soon, right?

She had just gotten caught up in all the attention he was giving her- obviously the boy moved fast with his relationships, but that didn't mean _she _had to catch up. No, she didn't have to feel _anything _for him.

But she did.

She groaned in frustration as the elevator dinged open after reaching the lobby- she really should have just let him avoid her.

* * *

Oh gosh! What the hell just happened?

Lol so I'm like the Queen of Almost-Kisses, am I right? How frustrating is it? Be honest ;)

Though _technically _this _almost_ was a little more of a _sort-of_, but regardless, there was no full-on lip-locking. And I'm sure it's driving you all crazy.

Is it bad that I think I'm going to enjoy your frustration? Am I a bad person?

Anywhoo, leave a review, maybe- if you're not too busy planning my death. But hahahaha you guys don't know where I live! And you can't very well kill me over the internet!

But have fun trying ;D


	40. Stuck

I regret to inform you of the disheartening news that I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

The tables had been turned (or rather, returned to normal) as Garfield desperately tried to get Raven to talk to him. He knew she probably needed space after what had happened- well, almost happened- but he really, _really _needed to talk about it. If what he thought was going to happen was really what was going to happen, then that meant that his teammate felt _something _for him- she wasn't the type of girl who just went around almost kissing guys.

Well, at least he _hoped _she wasn't.

But at the moment, it didn't really seem to matter; Raven was avoiding him like the plague. She had volunteered to help Kori with some charity business, and Jinx had requested Garfield's assistance with _Logania's _funds.

Which was pretty strange of the pink-haired girl to do, but he figured her girly senses must have been tingling after he and Raven returned to the lobby separately. It was a little unnerving to know that she must have suspected something had gone on, and he was praying that she wouldn't bring it up.

"What the hell happened between you and Rae-Rae?"

But his prayers didn't always get answered.

He let out a labored sigh while casting his curious teammate a sideways glance. "What are you talking about?"

Jinx rolled her eyes in exasperation at his obvious avoidance. "I'm not stupid, Gar- what happened? Did you say something to her?"

He scoffed in offence at her assumption. "What makes you think _I _was the one who said something?"

The pink-haired girl smirked wickedly as she returned her sights to the worksheets in front of her. "Well, you're an idiot as it is-" He let out another scoff at her explanation, which she ignored. "- but when you're in front of her, you're a stuttering, awkward, _flustered_ idiot."

Garfield crossed his arms in defiance as he glared across the table at her, waiting for her to continue.

"And Rae-Rae's pretty easy to read- she's not the type of girl to go around saying stupid things, so obviously _you _were the one to say something stupid."

"What makes you think we were even _talking?_"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. Especially when a devious smirk began spreading across his teammate's face; one that would give even Victor a run for his money.

"You guys _weren't _talking?"

Garfield decided that he had said enough, so instead of answering, he directed his attention back to the task at hand.

Though his reluctance only seemed to heighten her curiosity.

"Were you guys doing something... _else?_"

The blonde felt his jaw clench in frustration- like Jinx had _any _right to know what went on between him and Raven. He hardly considered the pink-haired girl a friend- the only reason he associated with her was because of Wally. And sure, eventually they reached a bit of an understanding and became a little more than acquaintances, but that didn't mean they were BFFs. Jinx was a royal pain, and he had no idea how Wally managed.

"It's really none of your business," he growled. Unlike his bantering with the dark-haired girl, arguing with Jinx was honestly just irritating- she didn't know when to shut up.

"Gaaaar," she whined playfully. "Rae-Rae's not into girl-talk, so I can't get anything out of _her!_"

He rolled his eyes in exasperation- why couldn't she just call her boyfriend or something?

"Nothing happened, okay? We just ran into Mr. Wayne, and I think Raven just felt a little awkward," he lied.

Jinx looked at him skeptically. "Why would she feel awkward?"

Garfield groaned as he tried to figure out a better excuse.

"Because I used to hang around up there all the time, and it was strange seeing him after all these years without Richard there."

The blonde jumped at the monotone voice of his teammate, who had somehow managed to sneak up on him.

Jinx continued to look unconvinced.

Raven sensed her disbelief and rolled her eyes. "We didn't leave on the best of terms," she elaborated, and Garfield knew that she, too, was lying. From what she had told him the other day, Bruce and Richard were like a surrogate family to her.

The pink-haired girl finally seemed to accept her reason as she stood from her chair. "Well, that sucks," she offered with a shrug, before giving them both a devious smirk. "I'll just leave you two alone. To talk."

With that, she swiftly made her way across the room and towards the rest of their teammates.

Garfield sneaked a quick look at Raven, who was avoiding his eyes as she gathered up the papers Jinx had left.

"It's Thursday," she mused casually after a minute of awkward silence.

Her teammate nodded, clearly bewildered by her statement. "Uh huh..?"

Raven let out a huff of amusement, though she still hadn't looked at him. "Are you almost done with my book? You have until tomorrow," she explained, hoping that reminding him of the bet would make him forget about the... _thing _that had almost happened.

Realization lit up Garfield's eyes. "Oh, right! Yeah, I'm almost done," he grinned, thankful for her distraction. He wanted to talk about what almost happened, but didn't want to do it in front of the prying eyes of their teammates. He'd just have to wait until a better opportunity presented itself.

"And how do you like it so far?"

He smiled kindly as she made quick eye contact with him. Honestly, the book was a little too... _dark _for his tastes, but it was well-written and fascinating. "I like it."

She held his stare, a confused expression plastered on her face. "You do?"

His smiled widened at her obvious pleasant surprise. "Yeah, I do," he assured.

He felt his heart skip a beat at the small smile that spread across her lips. "I forget if you liking it was a good thing or a bad thing," she admitted with a small laugh.

Again, his heart decided to defy science and stop for a whole second, before speeding up to a somewhat uncomfortable rate. How could her _laugh _cause him to feel this way? Why did this girl have such an affect on him? Jinx was right- in front of Raven, he was a stuttering, awkward, flustered mess. It was embarrassingly enjoyable.

"I forgot, too."

Raven felt her own heart thump wildly against her chest at the way he was looking at her. It didn't make her uncomfortable or anything, but perhaps that was the reason why she found it so unnerving. She had barely admitted to her crush on him, but she was in no hurry to do anything about it. Even though she was pretty sure Jinx had been telling the truth about how Garfield felt- he obviously liked her as more than a friend. Or at the very least, he _was _attracted to her.

Yet none of this changed the fact that she just was not ready to deal with all these emotions again. Maybe somewhere down the road, she could allow herself to get closer to him, but not now.

She had to focus on this competition- and when it was over, she'd need to focus on graduating. And after that, college.

There was no time for a boyfriend, and she was in no position to have her head clouded with feelings and her stomach swarmed by butterflies. She wasn't in the mood for a fairytale.

"Well, Richard wanted me to take all this back to his room before dinner," she began, cursing herself for rambling. "Would you mind helping me?"

She had no idea why she'd ask that- it was only going to make things harder. Especially since she could sense his desire to _talk _to her.

Garfield felt as if his face was about to split in half; he knew that an opportunity to talk to her would present itself if he were to remain patient.

"Sure, Rae!"

Raven blushed at the blonde's enthusiasm as he scooped up the other papers. She decided that the private elevator would give them _too _much privacy, so she led him towards the guest elevators, hoping the company of strangers would keep him from saying what he really wanted to say.

He stifled a snort at how obvious she was being with her choice of elevators, and decided that maybe he _shouldn't _bring it up just yet.

They stepped into their usual elevator, and Raven felt her heart sink when she realized it was empty. So much for _not _being alone with Garfield.

They remained silent as they ascended past the first few floors, and Garfield felt himself growing angsty- he needed to say something. He opened his mouth to break the silence, only to be interrupted by the jolt of the elevator as it came to a sudden stop.

Thankfully Raven had been holding the handrail this time, so she wasn't thrown towards the blonde, who had kept his balance masterfully. She waited with bated breath for it to start-up again, but found herself gasp in surprise as the lights began flickering.

"Oh my god," she muttered, praying that it would jolt back into motion, or at least open on the current floor.

A similar thought passed through Garfield's mind as he willed the elevator to move- he hadn't wanted an opportunity like _this. __  
_

"It did this last time, remember?" he began soothingly, noting the look of terror on Raven's face. He idly wondered if she were claustrophobic or something, because she looked to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

Unbeknownst to him, Raven was really only terrified of being stuck in a small space with _him- _avoiding talking to him about her feelings was hard to do when they were forced together into a cramped box.

"It didn't take this long to work_ last time,_" she snapped.

Garfield furrowed his brows in concern, which slowly grew into dread as a voice rang out from the speakers.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience; the hotel is sending someone up to fix the elevator as we speak."

Raven growled in frustration as she pressed the button beside the speaker.

"_Thank you,_" she seethed, obviously use to the drill. Garfield suddenly wondered if this type of thing happened very often, or at least when she had been living here.

He kept his eyes fixed on her, blushing when she spared a glance at him. He found that he couldn't look away though as she continued to look distressed.

"Are you okay, Rae?" he whispered, unsure of whether or not the maintenance people could still hear them.

She gave him a halfhearted glare, before rolling her eyes. "Just peachy."

* * *

Sorry for the late update (well, late for me, anyway)!

I hope this chapter helps to quench your thirst for BBRae and help ease the withdrawals (oh, who am I kidding- that is one addiction I don't think will ever be satisfied for any of us!)

Maybe leave a review or something? That'd be pretty awesome! And if you are waiting for an update for The After Party, do not fret! I am not giving up on it, I'm just focusing more on my other stories. When I find some fluffy inspiration, I will be sure to write up something cute for it!


	41. Secrets

The Teen Titans aren't real. Whoops, I meant they're not mine. Haha.

* * *

"This can't be happening."

Garfield watched as Raven sunk down to the floor, her head in her hands. He hadn't realized how upset being trapped in here would make her, and he felt bad that he was witnessing something she probably didn't want him to see.

In all honesty, Raven couldn't care less that she was trapped in here. It was just the fact the he was in here too. And now she knew something was going to happen. Something she didn't want to happen.

Garfield lowered himself onto the floor next to her, and hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder. She didn't stiffen like usual, but she ignored him nonetheless.

"You okay, Rae?"

She couldn't bring herself to answer him. She knew she was being selfish and immature, but it wasn't fair. How could she have betrayed herself like this?

The blonde continued his attempt at soothing her. "It's okay if you're claustrophobic- tons of people are. And we'll get out of here soon, so you don't need to worry."

She stifled a laugh at how wrong he was, but couldn't find the energy to correct him.

Garfield gulped nervously as his mind debated internally. Right now would be the opportune time to tell her about _his _problem. "Everybody has a weakness, Rae," he began, hoping that his resolve would hold. "You already know a little bit about mine- what's wrong with me."

She felt her heart stop when she realized where he was going with this. He was going to tell her _why _he was taking pills. _What _his medication was for.

_What _was wrong with him.

"I was diagnosed _before _my parents died, and back then, it didn't seem like such a big deal. So my body wasn't producing enough iron- no biggie. That was easy to fix."

_Iron deficiency? He's all worked up because he's anemic? _She suddenly felt a little... underwhelmed at his reveal. She was happy it wasn't anything too serious, but he had definitely made it seem a whole lot worse.

"But after... after it happened, and I was shoved from one foster parent to another... I don't know, I just kind of... gave up."

His last statement recaptured her interest, and she lifted her head from her hands to look at him. He was staring at the elevator doors with a faraway look in his eyes- obviously lost in thought.

Raven suddenly felt sick with herself- she was letting him think she had some kind of condition just so he'd open up to her. How could she be so deceitful?

He opened his mouth to continue, but she quickly cut him off.

"Stop, Garfield. I'm not... I'm not claustrophobic."

He gave her a surprised look, and she was half-expecting him to yell at her for what she had almost let him do.

Garfield, on the other hand, was relieved to hear her confession. He was feeling awful that she was trapped in here, and he could do nothing to help her. Except maybe tell his story. But now he didn't have to.

"That's good," he sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. He didn't have to tell her yet. She didn't have to know.

But he wanted her to.

He turned to face her, ignoring the flustered feeling he got from being so close to her. Now was not the time to think about that.

"You can keep a secret, right?"

She gave him a bewildered look, unsure of what he was talking about. "Yes?"

He breathed a small sigh of relief, though she could still tell he was apprehensive. "I've only told one other person about this, Rae," he whispered, maintaining eye contact with her.

She nodded slowly, realizing that he was still going to tell her. That he _trusted _her.

"I won't tell anyone, Garfield," she breathed, also ignoring their close proximity. "I promise."

He smiled as he took in her words, satisfied that she was telling the truth.

"You know how I'm a vegetarian, right?"

Raven nodded again, no longer sure where this was going.

He waited for her response, before continuing. "Okay, well, I know that we don't always get all the nutrients and protein that we need, and that wasn't a good mix with my anemia. Or my unstable environment.

"I honestly stopped caring about my health, since I figured nobody cared about me, and I just kept getting worse. I stopped taking my meds, and eventually stopped eating all together. I hadn't really meant to, but I just didn't feel like it. I... I didn't feel at all."

Raven could relate to that feeling, and she knew how awful it was.

Garfield rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, breaking eye contact for a second as he gathered his courage. "Thankfully, I was sent to live with these two incredible people- my current foster parents. They helped me get back into good health. But since I hadn't taken care of myself for so long, I was almost diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency- which is another cause of anemia. And a really freaking dangerous combination.

"Like, super bad, actually. The symptoms hadn't really started, but when I read up on them, I found out that they ranged from losing my sense of touch, all the way to schizophrenia. And yeah, I was probably over-reacting or being way too paranoid, but I thought that if anyone found out about me being an anemic, they'd just assume I had all that other stuff, too."

Raven was surprised that he had jumped to that conclusion- personally, she would have only taken his anemia at face-value. But after hearing about his unstable childhood, she figured he had every right to feel that way. Growing up in foster care obviously took a toll on him, and living with special circumstances probably made him think that nobody would want to deal with him.

Garfield waited quietly for her to say something. Anything. A part of him worried that he had scared her off- that she thought he was just a lost cause, like so many others had. Another part of him told him to be patient- that he had just dumped a lot onto her plate, and she was only processing it. That she wasn't like the others. She was different.

"But you're okay now?"

She wasn't sure why she asked that- obviously he was okay. Besides the little incident that had happened in her bathroom the other day, he showed no signs of being in poor health. He was rather hyper and energetic, meaning his medication was doing its job.

He let out a small chuckle at the confused look on Raven's face; she was probably berating herself for asking such a stupid question. It was really cute, though.

"Yeah, I'm okay now," he smiled.

She returned his smile, before the slow realization of how close they were began to set in. Like a nightmare, she felt as if the walls were closing in, and she idly wondered if she maybe _was _claustrophobic.

"Are you okay?"

Garfield had noticed Raven's face pale considerably, and he unconsciously cupped her face with his hand as her head drooped down slightly.

She felt her cheeks heat up in a blush as she took in their current position, and she cursed herself for letting something like this happen. _Again._

The blonde suddenly noticed their compromising position as well, and began to pull his hand back, not wanting to make things awkward. _Again. _

Raven could feel his hand retracting, and she had no idea what came over her, but instead of leaning away as well, she leaned in closer.

Garfield barely had time to process what was happening as her lips captured his in a sudden kiss. He felt as if he were on fire, yet instead of pain, what he felt was actually enjoyable. His eyes fluttered closed immediately as he leaned into her, deepening the kiss slightly.

Her head was spinning, and she felt a jolt of electricity pass through her body once his lips started responding. She had no idea what the hell she was doing- she knew she wasn't just supposed to sit there awkwardly and press her mouth against his. She tried to recall what she had seen in movies, and began to part her mouth slightly.

He responded immediately by doing the same, and soon their mouths were moving in a somewhat awkward, but much more enjoyable rhythm.

He was just as clueless as her, but didn't want to let it show, so he just tried to do what felt natural. And for some strange reason, kissing Raven felt completely natural.

Not even a minute had passed, yet Raven suddenly felt like she couldn't breath. The realization of what she was doing began to dawn on her, and she suddenly pulled away, causing Garfield to lurch forward slightly.

He opened his eyes in confusion, taking in her flustered appearance, and realization hit him as well.

They stared at each other for a solid minute, matching blushes etched across their faces, before Raven cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Y-you can keep a secret, r-right?"

* * *

...Did that just happen? What? _What?! WHAT?!_

Did I actually just write that? Really? Is this a joke? Did that _really _just happen? Are you guys going crazy? Did you just imagine that?

Are you going to read the next chapter and realize you were only dreaming? That they hadn't kissed? That none of that just happened? Are you going to wake up tomorrow and realize that this isn't even a real story? That you imagined it all? That the Teen Titans aren't even real? That you were actually in a coma for ten years, and everything you thought was real, isn't?

Or are you going to just fan-girl like crazy 'cuz the world's most irritating author (that is me, btw) actually had your OTP kiss?

Leave a review! I love reviews! So much! :D


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